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MNHQ

...to get cross every time I see "10 items or less"

87 replies

Tech · 14/02/2007 20:13

It should be "fewer". I once wrote a long message to the CEO of M&S on this very subject, but didn't send it after one of my colleagues told me I was a "very sad individual indeed". Hmm. Still bugs me though.... maybe we should have "pedants corner" in addition to this topic...

OP posts:
Katy44 · 15/02/2007 08:39

Adding my support for a pedants' corner!

FluffyMummy123 · 15/02/2007 08:41

Message withdrawn

FluffyMummy123 · 15/02/2007 08:42

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Gobbledigook · 15/02/2007 08:45

Well I was reading a proposal document last night from a very well known, huge, company to another company and it was the most horrendously written piece of work I've ever seen.

Dh was reading through it and had put literally hundreds of amends on it. Every single sentence needed changing in some way or other.

I was absolutely gobsmacked to hear from dh that it had already gone to the potential client and they had been 'shortlisted', if you like, on the back of it! Dh has to go to a meeting with them on Friday - I'd die if I had to go knowing that shite had been sent out.

I guess you'd have to see it to really understand how bad it was but my jaw hit the floor. It was truly shocking.

NadineBaggott · 15/02/2007 08:45

Things like this don't pee off half as much as awful pronunciation like 'twenny' for twenty' or people saying 'right?' every other word.

I suggest you take the complete works of Shakespeare with you to the check-out and keep your nose in that.

twelveyeargap · 15/02/2007 08:48

Gobbledigook, I regularly have to correct my superiors' work when I'm asked to "print this document on headed paper". The tripe they would otherwise sent to clients, (of the large investment bank I work at), never ceases to amaze me.

Gobbledigook · 15/02/2007 08:50

I was watching Animal Park yesterday and one guy kept saying 'sort of' - it was dotted about into every sentence and it was driving me nuts!!

Gobbledigook · 15/02/2007 08:51

Twelveyeargap - I can believe it! I so wanted to re-write this document that dh had - I've never seen anything like it. Many of the sentences didn't actually make any sense - it was dreadful.

franke · 15/02/2007 08:54

They even made this mistake in the UNICEF report on children which was published yesterday.

"Figure 1.3b Percentage of children age 15 reporting less than six educational possessions"

"Figure 1.3c Percentage of children age 15 reporting less than 10 books in the home"

Quite put me off reading it.

Gobbledigook · 15/02/2007 08:54

And why is poor spelling and grammar so rife anyway? Ds1 is only in year 1 - he has spelling tests every week and is starting to put punctuation in his work. He's only 5 and he could have done a better job of this proposal!

Yes, it did rile me a bit

twelveyeargap · 15/02/2007 08:58

I have noticed that if I don't correct the punctuation or syntax of DD's English homework, that the teacher rarely bothers either.

Now, where is this Pedant's Corner? I clearly belong there, wearing a large pointy hat labelled with a large "P".

twelveyeargap · 15/02/2007 09:01

I saw "... giving piece of mind to our clients." on an estate agent's website yesterday. Is that just plain stupidity? I'm amazed that neither the web designer or owner of the business picked up on it.

FioFio · 15/02/2007 09:01

This reply has been deleted

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Katy44 · 15/02/2007 09:05

twelveyeargap - if they've been around for a while, maybe they don't have many pieces left.

boredwithwaitingforminiMOSSY · 15/02/2007 09:06

Tech I'm with you on this; I don't think you are being unreasonable.

But dh, acting as sober ying to my raging yang, has taught me the value of letting things like this go.

Although "Ladie's Shoe's" is a different matter.

twelveyeargap · 15/02/2007 09:16

Fio - having had the unfortunate experience of dealing with said company; I'm sorry I didn't see it before! It might have forewarned me that I would be "in pieces" becuase of them.

FluffyMummy123 · 15/02/2007 09:22

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misdee · 15/02/2007 09:26

i feel really 'fick' reading this thread.

FluffyMummy123 · 15/02/2007 09:27

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Judy1234 · 15/02/2007 09:28

Yes, people who are properly educated don't write or say that. Even my children know that. People pay people like me to get those sorts of things right, even a comma in the wrong place can lead to huge differences in meaning.

Children are taught these things properly. The twins' homework last night was there, their and they're.

Katy44 · 15/02/2007 09:28

misdee - I've found I always learn loads from these threads as there's always someone there to correct me!

FluffyMummy123 · 15/02/2007 09:28

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Bekks · 15/02/2007 09:30

I worked in a housing office once with someone who spelt tenants like the lager!

Katy44 · 15/02/2007 09:32

Xenia - that's exactly it - why should proofreaders/editors get away with doing their jobs so badly? Why should newsreaders talk about the 'Home Sec-u-terry'? Why is it that I regularly notice basic errors in emails I get from people way above me at work? (I'm not talking about typos, I mean 'could of', 'send an email to Kate and I' ....)

Now I realise there's no way I've typed a message this long without errors, so please correct away

kittywaitsfornumber6 · 15/02/2007 09:33

One of the most stupid errors, or place for an error was on a window display in a bookshop aimed at students.It went along the lines of
"Students, get you're books and stationary here,"
I remember having to exercise great restraint and not go in and correct them.