google.com, pub-0038581670763948, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 My Typo Humour: 01/03/2012 - 01/04/2012

Friday 30 March 2012

Proper training required

I spotted this the other day on the Yahoo News pages.

It was photographed by Moira Bagley who works as Communications Director for US Senator Rand Paul.


The booklet is a training directory for people working on Capitol Hill.

Believe it or not, on Page 13 it informs its readers that there is a class in editing and proofreading.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

She may be entranced

Resurrected from 2007, this pearl has been doing the rounds over the past few days.


Thanks to Jon C for reminding us of it.

Friday 23 March 2012

So you think you can proofread?


Easier said than done when you read what you want to read rather than what's actually written.

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Know your onions, Starbucks

I'm not out to discredit Starbucks. Honestly.

But, after the deluge of interest in Monday's post, I have another Starbucks gem to share.

As reported by Time NewsFeed, the company opened its first Evolution Fresh outlet this week in Bellevue, Washington, USA.

Oh dear. Massive fail I'm afraid.


Is it a bad sign that a company specialising in fruit and veg can't spell vegetables properly?

Well, it's certainly a bad sign.

Monday 19 March 2012

Fewer Starbucks please

Never mind 'Less is more'. Less is simply wrong.


It should be fewer, Starbucks, please.

Come to think of it, fewer Starbucks sounds like an even better option.

Friday 16 March 2012

Cosntruction grammar

Here's a heads-up to motorists driving by 169 South Main Street, New City, NY this week.


What I find particularly disturbing is that the sign is positioned right outside a print shop which, among other products, offers signs for sale.

I do hope this one's not been produced there.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

English as a foriegn language

If you find yourself in Peterborough any time soon, take a few minutes to browse the bookshelves in the Oxfam shop.

You might spot these fine attempts at labelling.


OK. That's foreign languages cracked. Time to broaden our horizons.


Doh.

Thanks are due to MTH's good friend and contributor, Jon C.

You'll probably spot him in the Oxfam shop too.

Monday 12 March 2012

Daily Mail proofreading abilities

Another blunder from the online version of the Daily Mail.

This one spotted by Jon C a few weeks back.


Considering the article is all about people with learning disabilities, you'd think it'd be pretty important for the editor to be able to differentiate between the words abilities and disabilities.

Not seen it yet?

First paragraph, second line.

You're in good company. Even as I write, the article hasn't been changed and none of the comments make reference to it.

Friday 9 March 2012

Hoist by his own petard

Commenting on typos can be a very risky occupation.

The more you shout about them, the more likely it is that others will point out your own.

Case in point: Peter. He blogs about his life on a narrow boat and occasionally posts photos of signs he comes across on his travels.

Most of them are worth posting again.

Here's one.


And another.


But you know what they say about people in glass houses.


Thanks for comenting, Peter. Your hummiliation is duly noted.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Breacon Becons New Yorkers

A real brouhaha started on the New York subway the other day over a typo on a poster.

The poster formed part of VisitBritain's £25 million 'Great' campaign created by the London agency Mother with the aim of promoting Britain as a tourist destination. It featured a wooded glade near Llandovery.


But the tourism campaign came undone after an eagle-eyed New Yorker spotted that the Brecon Beacons area of Wales had been spelt as Breacon Beacons.


The man, who has friends in the area, shared the mistake on the Brecon Beacons Facebook page, which led to an angry reaction from residents.


It was part of VisitBritain’s ‘biggest ever marketing push’ aimed at reaching more than 90 million people around the world and generating £2.3 billion for the economy.

VisitBritain's Mark Di-Toro blamed the gaffe on a proofreading error, adding that 'It's a regrettable mistake which will not be repeated.'

Really, Mr Di-Toro? I wouldn't be too confident about that.

If you visit Mother's own web page featuring the Great campaign, you'll see this.


The copy to the right of the picture reads:

If you’ve been travelling internationally recently you’re sure to have spotted our new GREAT campaign, which showcases to the world all that is best about the UK as a place to visit and do businesses.

Monday 5 March 2012

Krispy Krunchy Khicken

From the Associated Press last week and reported widely throughout the US.

School officials in a Massachusetts town are apologising for sending students home with a lunch menu that listed KKK Chicken Tenders as an option.

About 6,500 students in four Methuen schools went home with new menus on Tuesday with the apparent reference to the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.



Superintendent Judith Scannell said the menu was supposed to list KK Chicken Tenders, with the KK standing for a creatively spelled Krispy, Krunchy, but a 'long-standing exemplary' employee mistakenly hit the K key a third time while typing the menu.

Scannell apologised if anyone was offended but added that no one had complained to her. The food service director received only one complaint.

However, the typo could have been avoided entirely if the officials hadn't chosen such a korny name for the chicken dish.

As one disapproving student scoffed, 'There would've been no issue if officials just spelled the words correctly, with the letter C.'

So much for winning the hearts and minds of the young with klever marketing.

Not to mention teaching them how to spell correctly.

Friday 2 March 2012

One-liners

We haven't had any one-liners recently. I hope these make your day more bearable.

I'd love to attribute them to their rightful owners but I really don't have a clue where they came from originally. Some of them are probably from Steven Wright but I (and even he) can't be sure.


A friend of mine recently admitted to being addicted to brake fluid. When I quizzed him on it he reckoned he could stop any time.

I went to the cemetery yesterday and saw four grave diggers walking around with a coffin. Three hours later, they were still walking around with it. I thought to myself, they've lost the plot.

I was at a cashpoint yesterday when a little old lady asked if I could check her balance. So I pushed her over.

A new Middle East crisis erupted last night as Dubai Television was refused permission to broadcast The Flintstones. A spokesman for the channel said, 'A claim was made that people in Dubai would not understand the humour, but we know for a fact that people in Abu Dhabi do.'

My daughter asked me for a pet spider for her birthday so I went to our local pet shop and they were £70. I thought, I can get one cheaper off the web.

Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarves are not happy.

I start a new job in Seoul next week. I thought it was a good Korea move.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor...

I went to a bookshop and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

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