The Proofreading Superhero
It’s not odd that I spent yesterday morning lamenting the death of true proofreading with my writing chum – we do that a lot. What is odd is that today I come across the world’s only known (in my mind) Grammar Superheroes, who are a team of four edgy editors hell-bent on ridding the world of typos (good luck in Chinatown, kids). The members of the TEAL team (Typo Eradication Advancement League) go around with pens in hand correcting public displays of misspelling – literally. The blog is great, and the photos of the corrections – well, they make me all warm and fuzzy inside. Seriously.
One of my biggest peeves on this planet is the death of proofreading at all levels of publishing – from the Wal-Mart sign right on up to Wall Street Journal and beyond. If I see I typo in something I’m reading, I can’t go on. It’s as though some alien force has invaded my brain and all my eyes can see is a big “ERROR! ERROR!” sign flashing. I cringe. I fuss. I circle. I bitch. And the bitching? Lasts for days. I remember the Time-Magazine-April-2001-Issue incident as though it were yesterday. Four typos in the upfront section – are they kidding me? Don’t get me started.
But now, I feel vindicated. And yes, safer. It’s one thing to feel powerless to typo disease. But to have a group of vigilant individuals wiping out the offenses before our very eyes is just … (sniff) … special. It’s also inspiring, for my Sharpie is now in my purse, ready for action.
Now if I could find a way to rid the world of the “then” when you mean “than” offense….
SEE? Everyone needs a fantasy self. Even grammarians.
Lori,
You’re testing us, right? You deliberately put in a typo to see if we catch it.
“If I see I typo in something I’m reading, I can’t go on.”
I went on reading after seeing I for one, but it stopped me momentarily.
Congratulations, Lillie! You found it. :)) Yes, I was having a little fun with you.
You win a gold Sharpie!
Hi, Lori –
Yet again, fabulous minds think alike!
I agree: The Superheroes of Grammar are the best.
Rebecca : )
Oh heck — here I was on tenterhooks over whether I should point out that typo to a perfect stranger, and Lillie beat me to it.
I can’t bear typos either, and I correct them whenever I can. When I discovered the book ‘Eats, Shoots & Leaves,’ I stood there in the book shop with tears running done my face. Finally a book for people like me! The fact that it became a bestseller moved and impressed me no end.
My pet peeve is ‘me’ used in the subjective position and ‘I’ used in the objective position. Both drive me wild.
I’m nodding my head so vigorously I may get whiplash.
Errors happen, but when something is to be published, it goes before enough pairs of eyes that typos should be caught.
Don’t beat yourself up, Mary. I’m sure there are plenty of legitimate errors in my post you can find! 🙂 Both you and Lillie have sharp eyes to find that one! Since my eyes are requiring (gasp) extra help these days, I’m sure there are mistakes aplenty in all my posts. 🙂
That’s my feeling too, marijke. One or two mistakes on a blog, eh, the world will still turn. One or two mistakes in a major publication on a consistent basis speaks to a larger problem. I remember working on a relatively large magazine and having a proofreading staff. I remember the day they were all laid off permanently. Our workload doubled and mistakes found their way into print. I do suspect that’s what we’ve been seeing for the last decade. Proofreading departments, if they still exist, are taxed to their capacity and simply cannot do it all.