Nothing bugs me more than typos. There are worse things for sure, but typos are a sign of laziness. Of not taking the time to make sure your words are correct. That lesson was drilled into me by a professor, who would automatically give you an F if your assignment had a typo. If it was particularly notable, she would read it out loud in class. And make you stand up while she did it.
I've committed my share of doozies. Like the time in a Powerpoint I used "pubic" when I meant "public." And once, in a newsletter for a school district, I listed a graduating student as "Brain" instead of "Brian." While they were sure their kid was smart, his parents were not so impressed with me. And neither was the school superintendent, who had to reprint and remail every copy of that list. Let's face it - we hold certain groups such as journalists, editors and educators to a higher typo standard . . . in the same way we would expect an accountant to get the math right.
So you'll understand my dismay when our schools send home materials written by teachers and administrators with obvious mistakes - like today's letter trying to "gage" interest in a Chinese language course. You'd think I'd be more understanding, but I'm not. It happens a lot. When it does, my red pen and yellow highlighter come out immediately. It takes incredible self control for me not to send it back with a red F, circled. Second eye people. Second eye.
(P.S. If you find a typo on The Daily Hoop-lah, blame Big Dog. I'm sure it's his fault.)
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