Give me a break!

After reading what's in the image above and meeting Marnie Scanlan, are you thinking, 'Hey, there's nothing wrong here'? If so, good for you. On its own, the above paragraph - from "Cyclist gets $200,000 for pothole mishap" on Yahoo! Canada News on May 21, 2011 - is fine. But,

three paragraphs later, Marnie's last name has had a D added to the end. I don't know which spelling is correct, and I don't care; apparently the same goes for the Yahoo! writer. Additionally, breaks should be brakes (that's a ridiculous homophonic error!) and kilometers should be kilometres (that's the Canadian way!). Click an image to enlarge it.

An NHL miss

The player mentioned is Chris Higgins of the Vancouver Canucks. From the NHL.com homepage on May 15, 2011. See the hit by clicking here.

I suggest proofreading

I don't understand why MSN writes before MSN suggest. Surely it should be suggests. From "Bands that you need to break up with" on MSN Canada Entertainment on May 12, 2011. Click the image to enlarge it.

24 hours Vancouverrors

It's a misspelled Vancouver in the photo caption for "Lotto winner now superfan" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 25, 2011. But,

that's nothing compared to the misspelling of Independent in the first sentence of "Everything has its consequences" in the same edition of 24 hours Vancouver.

"Go, hockey, go!"

What? I'm cheering on the hockey, just like many other bloggers and fans, according to this article ("Vancouver closes street for CBC's Canucks street party" on CBC News online on May 13, 2011). Though there is the chance the word team is missing from between hockey and during. However, it's been over a week with no correction, so, um, yeah. Also not corrected is the single-letter word a randomly appearing between for and some, and the lack of hyphen in both Olympic-style and family-friendly. I also don't understand the inconsistency of 4:00 p.m. and and 9 p.m. - why the zeros on only the former? A couple of paragraphs later,

used should be use. Click an image to enlarge it.

Does spelling matter?

If you're writing for Yahoo!, it doesn't. From "Breakfast before or after exercise—which torches more fat?" on Yahoo! Canada Shine on May 10, 2011.

What's your error-tolerance threshold?

To misspell threshold once could be perceived as a typo, but misspelling it twice - in the exact same manner and in the same paragraph - goes beyond typoville. A spell check would have caught that. From "Unsafe drivers should pay more: ICBC" on CBC News online on May 11, 2011. Later in the article,

the word be should be between also and limited. Click an image to enlarge it.

Attention to detail

I'd imagine politicians - or their staffers - are good at paying attention to details. If only journalists were just as good at paying attention to details when writing about politicians. There seems to be a missing word or two after month-long, or it should read simply much of the month. From "Crucial B.C. byelection Wednesday" on CBC News online on May 11, 2011. Then,

this is the entire first sentence of the article's final paragraph. That comma after Clark shouldn't be there, and the word in should be between legislature and 1996. Click an image to enlarge it.

This is professional writing?! That's ludicrous!

Is it just me or does it's clear from estimates debate not make any sense? I could just be reading it wrong. However, I do know that roll should be role. From "Premier using government staff in byelection: NDP" on CBC News online on May 10, 2011. Later in the article,

there is a suspicious misspelling of ludicrous. A simple spell check would have caught that. In the second paragraph there are a couple of extra of extra words - can you spot them? Then,

this is the article's final paragraph and the writer ended on a low note; in should be is. Click an image to enlarge it.

I don't follow

I understand - via the writer's use of parentheses - that Nashville coach said Smithson and Weber and not both players' full names, but did he then say Ryan Suter's first name or last name or neither? From "Canucks advance to West final" on CBC Sports online on May 9, 2011. Click the image to enlarge it.

24 hours Vancouverrors

Rapid action! Rapid action! Breath should be breathe! From "Tubers rescued after falling in B.C. river" on 24 hours Vancouver online on May 17, 2011! Next!

In the penultimate sentence, I believe the word film should be between The and screens! From "Shadbolt Centre's film series finale" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 12, 2011! Next!

It should be role as a cat is a big step forward! From "Hayek and Banderas kick off Cannes" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 12, 2011! Next!

The word said should be either before or after Wilson! And I believe that Wilson was misquoted and that the last sentence should read That wasn't the case! From "Happy over homesick role" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 12, 2011! Next!

Diagnoses is plural - the writer wanted the singular diagnosis! From "Earth is crowded" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 12, 2011! Later in the same article,

questioning it's existence should be questioning its existence! No apostrophe! Next!

Nice try, Guts McTavish, but it's Kesler, not Kelser. From "5 on 5" in 24 hours Vancouver on May 12, 2011! Phew! We're done! Click an image to enlarge it.

You see orcas? I see errors!

The word to should be between according and the on the CBC British Columbia homepage on May 11, 2011. Then,

in the article itself ("Orcas make rare visit to Vancouver harbour" on CBC News online on May 11, 2011), the first their should be there. Click an image to enlarge it.

24 hours Vancouverrors

On the cover of 24 hours Vancouver on May 9, 2011, there needs to be another question mark after the closing quotation mark. It may look funny, but there's a question within a question, so two question marks are needed. Then,

in "Apologizing for LiLo comment" in the same paper, there needs to be an apostrophe in Lohan's troubles, but that's the least of the troubles here. That whole sentence is actually a non-sentence. Click an image to enlarge it.

Thriving on water

Somehow an S and a U took the place of a T and an H, respectively, and a woman who was missing for seven weeks (and spent most of that time alone in a van on a remote logging road) was thriving on just water. Colour me impressed! From "Missing Penticton woman found in Nevada" on CBC News online on May 6, 2011.