7:50am Saturday 4th September 2010
By Reader's letter
I HAVE had several exchanges with this august publication with reference to English accuracy.
After months of stopping myself from marking or noting down the errors, I offer the following from three consecutive days’ papers:
• Tuesday, August 31, page five: “she was only to happy help Hannah” (only too happy to)
• Wednesday, September 1, page four: “jumped into rescue his son...” (in to)
• Thursday, September 2, page two: “It’s virtually inhabitable...” (uninhabitable or not habitable).
If people who earn their living wielding the now virtual mighty pen cannot take their custodianship of our language seriously, what hope have others?
“Guns” in the wrong hands are dangerous, slightly adapting one of Seamus Heaney’s metaphors:
“Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun”.
Yours with real concern.
Dot Nicholson, Grange Garth, York.
• Editor’s note: “We hold our hands up and will urge all our editorial staff to strive to do better. In their defence, they work extremely hard to tight deadlines and the errors are made in haste rather than ignorance. However, we will all endeavour to improve.”
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