Resident mistakes
One of my habits (it remains a matter of opinion whether it is bad or good) is a constant urge to proofread everything. I probably shouldn’t even call it an urge as it is something I do instinctively even before I realize I am doing it. I suppose the annoying part comes in when I share it with those around me who care less than I do.
Those of you who chat with me on MSN are more than familiar with seeing that I am typing, seeing it pause, see me typing again and then sending. Usually what is happening is exactly what the more astute have accused me of - I am spell-checking my own writing. I have actually made more of an attempt to ease up on this and relax a little where it comes to instant messaging.
It is a daily exercise for me to read the newspaper every morning. The number of errors in their stories is embarassing (to me at least). I share the jokes with my father as I encounter bad grammar, typographical errors (we will assume that rather than just poor spelling) and ridiculous sentence structures. I still don’t understand the process (if there is one) that the stories go through because many of these are basic mistakes that should be picked up by a properly trained proofreader/editor, not to mention the journalists themselves.
On my recent return home from the U.S. I was handed a Jamaican customs form to fill out. As I quietly filled out the form, I noticed something that made me shudder. This form, which I have no doubt was printed by the hundreds of thousands for distribution to passengers arriving from various corners of the world, many of whom have English as a major language (if not their main one), asked for one’s “Country of Permanent Resident“. Without hesitation, I quickly changed the ‘t’ to a ‘ce’ and continued to fill out the form.
We need to do better than that!!
Right now I am feeling kindatired (yawn)...
