Analyze this

This is the online cover image for 65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays, Second Edition: With Analysis by the Staff of The Harbus, the Harvard Business School Newspaper (ISBN 9780312550073). Do I need to write anything more? For the record, that link takes you to the book's page on Indigo, and it's the same image on Amazon.

Use your personal identification number number at the automated teller machine machine

I'm confused. Why was $8,000 correctly left alone with no accompanying dollars, while later in the same sentence (from "Kash Heed's manager alleges $40K more in spending" on CBC News online on October 28, 2011) $5,500 incorrectly - and redundantly - had dollars following it? In the next sentence,

either the word and needs to be inserted between involved and have or the word were needs to be removed. Then,

$40,000 is dollars-free, but $5,500 again sees dollars following closely. Also, Barinder Sall is Sall every time in the article, but when Rankin asks him then he's temporarily short an L. Click an image to enlarge it.

Whose job is it to proofread?

This article ("Bio expected to light up Amazon" in 24 hours Vancouver on October 27, 2011) is about the biography about Steve Jobs. Notice how I wrote Steve Jobs and not Steve Job? Yeah, that's your first indication that the apostrophe in Job's bio from the above paragraph is incorrect.

33.33% = CBC fail

There are three names in this photo caption and CBC misspelled two of them. It started fine with Bill Clinton, but then George W. Bush and Dianne Watts both got mistreated. From "George W. Bush war crime prosecution blocked in B.C." on CBC News online on October 24, 2011.

24 hours Vancouverrors

My friend, Jason, posted the above picture on the Detected Errors page on Facebook. It's from 24 hours Vancouver - a free daily newspaper - on October 24, 2011. As you can see, a professional writer wrote loose when it should have been lose, and that person did it in a very large font, indeed. Jason wrote,

You get what you pay for, and this rag they have to force upon people as they cattle call their way onto the SkyTrain. But jeez Louise, on the same page? Have some professional pride, people!

Later that day,

I saw this headline in the same paper, just five pages after the lose/loose error. The apostrophe is in the wrong spot, as womens' should be women's.

Thanks, Jason!

What the L? Where's the L?

The city is actually Albuquerque. From "BlackBerry maker accused of infringing BBX trademark" on Yahoo! Canada Finance on October 20, 2011.

Want to lose credibility?

If you want to lose credibility, you couldn't do much worse than including a nonword in a subheadline. The word is moratorium. From "Vancouver mayor promises no gaming expansion" on CBC News online on October 19, 2011.

Back to grade one you go

This sentence (from "100-year-old Vancouver school to be destroyed" on CBC News online on October 18, 2011) is a dog's breakfast. The word that should be added between Vancouver and are, and the second of should be removed. It's ironic that the article is about an elementary school, non?

CBC can't quote what people are saying

I watched the video at the top of the article and Plattor does not say "may as well being saying to people". She says "may as well be saying to people", which actually makes sense. From "Roberto Luongo taking shots for poker ads" on CBC News online on October 17, 2011. Click the image to enlarge it.

That's your own show!

I've seen other media outlets put the apostrophe in the wrong place (and, in one case, get it way wrong), but Dragons' Den is a CBC show, fer cryin' out loud! From "In the news" on CBC News online on October 15, 2011.

Carelessness causes crap

The first error in this article ("Moose collision causes fatal 2-car crash in B.C." on CBC News online on October 15, 2011) is a simple misspelling of Citizen in the name of a daily Prince George newspaper. However,

three sentences later there is a doozy. First off, so should be to. Looking at the sentence as a whole, though, from area onwards it's a jumbled mess. A dog's breakfast, if you will. One possible fix involves adding a comma and removing a word: ... in the area as wildlife, especially moose, can be difficult to see at night. A second possible fix involves removing as wildlife: ... in the area, especially moose which can be difficult to see at night. Leaving it as-is, as CBC has done, is dumb.

No hyphens and no facts

This sentence (from "Boy bitten in bizarre Abbotsford washroom attack" on CBC News online on October 13, 2011) seems straightforward enough, but

three sentences later, the definitely 10-year-old boy (hyphens should be included in the age there) is now only "approximately" 10 years old (hyphens should not be included in the age there). Looking at the article now, Wednesday has been changed to Saturday. Ooooookay. Click an image to enlarge it.

his 18-old-brother

This is the first sentence/paragraph of just three sentences/paragraphs in the entire article. 18-old-brother should be 18-year-old brother. From "Brother arrested in Campbell River death" on CBC News online on September 28, 2011. Click the image to enlarge it.

Yahoooooooooooooooooooooo! September 2011

It's time for a summary of all the goofs that were featured on the Yahoo! Canada homepage during September 2011. First, on September 4, Yahoo! claimed that it wasn't a murder suspect that was travelling through Canada - it was the murder itself that was on the move west. Then,

on September 7, a misspelling of New Delhi was on display. Next,


there was a misspelling of graffitis on September 9. A nonword on your homepage? Ridiculous. Then,

on September 14 there was another nonword as officially was missing its second I. Reeediculous. Then,

I had no idea what this was supposed to mean on September 15. So I didn't click it. Then,

on September 16, for both anger and ire the preceding word should have been women's. The apostrophe in that word never goes after the S. I also don't agree with the hyphen in Taser-use. And do you see J.C. Penney up there? Well,

in the article ("Another controversial T-shirt hits the racks" on Yahoo! Canada Shine on September 15, 2011) there are no periods and only one E. Back to the homepage,

September 16 also saw a misspelling of Kate Middleton's last name. Proofreading is so boring. Then,

September 19 featured several errors. The top line is about Julianna Margulies. See how I put the L before the I in her last name? Yeah, that's the correct way of spelling it. The bottom line should have left Paltrow alone with no apostrophe-S, or anything else for that matter, added to her name. Then,

also on September 19, the word of should have been present between one and the. Then,

again on September 19, feisty got misspelled. Another nonword. Redonkulous. Then,

September 21 saw a truckload of errors. First, it's yet another nonword as player gets an extra E. Second,

it's sneak peek, Yahoo!, sneak frickin' peek. Third,

and fourth actually, a should be an (because easier begins with a vowel sound), and messier should be messy. Less messier? Please. Fifth,

this was a link to an article about Brad Pitt rescuing a woman while working on a film. The headline correctly has no apostrophe in rescues. Sixth (and lastly for the 21st),

I don't know how a writer can, in the same sentence, write both it's web store and its new venture. Hey, writer, please explain your thought process on that one. Then,

on September 23, can you see what's wrong with this spelling of Spartacus? If not, compare my spelling to Yahoo!'s spelling. Then,

on September 26 there was yet another nonword. The writers at Yahoo! no doubt consider themselves to be professional writers. That is a tragedy. Then,

on September 27, shows should have been show. Then,

there were two errors on display on September 28. First, Mad Men was undercapitalized. Second,

side should have been sides. I envy writers who get paid to write crap upon crap all wrapped in crap. Then,

on the final day of September, there was a they're that should have been their,

a comical misspelling of commercial, and a show that should have been shows. (Here's the article for that one.) That's it, that's all. Click an image to enlarge it.

Courteney drops E

It's actually a writer that dropped an E, as Courteney Cox is again the victim of a misspelled name. This time it was on the MSN Canada homepage on September 28, 2011.

If there they, eh?

The article ("Student killed in SFU's Surrey parkade" on CBC News online on September 28, 2011) has since been updated, but this was originally the final sentence. The word there should have been released.

Metronews Vancouverrors

A couple of errors from Metronews Vancouver on September 27, 2011. First, did the writer (of "Transit can be a real pick-me-up") mean she stares at broken lights while in traffic? That would make sense I guess, but I suspect she's actually staring at brake lights. Then,

in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon (DVD Releases)", someone misspelled Shia LaBeouf's last name.

24 hours Vancouverrors

A couple of errors from the pages of 24 hours Vancouver during September 2011. First up, from "Wanted: Giant Tums" on September 8, 2011, the writer apologizes for using "mini-doughnuts" and "conjugal visit" in the same sentence when in fact he did no such thing. Then,

in a short teaser on the newspaper's front page - I repeat, front page - on September 14, 2011, someone misspelled the subject's name (it's Arlene Dickinson) and misplaced the apostrophe in the name of her show (it's Dragons' Den). Did I mention that was on the paper's front page? Click an image to enlarge it.

Proofreading is not a priority, nor a piority.

It's Mike Pioroda! No wait, it's Mike Priorda! CBC, what's the right spelling?! From "Chris Brown B.C. concert promoters duped in fraud" on CBC News online on September 27, 2011. Click the image to enlarge it.

He was complained

Hey, Steve. Hey, Bob. See that final sentence/paragraph (of "L Word star booted off plane over kissing dispute" on Yahoo! Canada News on September 26, 2011) that is right above your names? It needs some editing - removing the first was, to be specific. Click the image to enlarge it.