MISTAKE MONDAY for Aug. 20: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for Aug. 13: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I think someone forgot to proofread this one. They should know better. (Of course, I’ve made careless mistakes like this too many times.)
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for Aug. 6: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. This is a mistake that bugs me.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for Jul. 23: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I bet this week’s mistake jumps out at you.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for Jul. 9: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Hint: spell-checking software won’t help you catch this one.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for June 11: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the Mistake Monday image below? Please post your answer as a comment.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Spell-checking software should have caught this week’s error.
MISTAKE MONDAY for May 21: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment.
Hint: spell-checking software might not catch this one.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
MISTAKE MONDAY for Jan. 29: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment.
If you follow the Investment Writing Facebook page, you know what I’ve been testing everyone’s proofreading skills since I introduced the concept on my blog in November 2011. I post an image, then challenge people to respond by identifying the mistake(s) in it. I do this to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. I also do it to remind myself to take proofreading more carefully. After all, some of the Mistake Monday items have been written by me. This week’s Mistake Monday comes from a major newspaper that must use professional proofreaders.
Starting this week, I am experimenting with moving Mistake Monday from Facebook to my blog. Why am I doing this? First, it’s easier to schedule posts in advance using WordPress than through Facebook. Second, my blog gets more traffic than my Facebook page. I’m scaling back my attention to Facebook.
Meanwhile, I’d like to thank the Mistake Monday loyalists who’ve commented, liked, and sent outrageous Mistake Monday examples to me. I appreciate you.
Spelling tip: When in doubt, close it up
Spelling challenges many of us. To make things more complicated, correct spelling changes over time, as discussed in the “Anticipate The Future” chapter of Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age.
I like the rule proposed in this chapter: “When in doubt, close it up.” The authors suggest that instead of separating or hyphenating newer terms such as “videogame” or “desktop,” close up the space to spell them as one word.
The book gives three reasons for doing this.
- “The way of the Net is not a hyphenated way.”
- “Save a Keystroke is another style commandment rooted in the way of the Net.”
- “We know from experience that new terms often start as two words, then become hyphenated, and eventually end up as one word.”
Another reason to “close up” commonly used terms is to make them easier for the reader to absorb. In the financial realm, I write “outperform” instead of “out-perform,” as I’ve discussed in an earlier post.
Of course, you shouldn’t close up every new term. Remember, the rule says “When in doubt.” To keep yourself from going overboard, google the term to see what spelling is most common. You can also look at trusted role models, such as The Wall Street Journal. I did this when I felt tempted to write glidepath as one word. I ended up keeping the two words separate, bowing to popular usage.
What words would YOU like to close up?
Disclosure: If you click on the Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I link only to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers.