Why You're Wrong

Why You're Wrong Unsolicited advice on grammar and writing Only when the writer is dead, so famous as to be beyond harm, or asking for it have I named names.

This page uses quotations from newspapers, magazines, books, and ordinary written communication to showcase common errors in American English. I have added explanations and, I trust, helpful advice to each example; I aim to provide the readers more than just the momentary satisfaction of feeling superior. I've identified the source of each quotation in vague terms (although some quotations may be

recognizable to readers of certain well-perused periodicals). In many cases, the authors cited have had copy editors who somehow seem to have failed them. As a professional copy editor myself, I know very well that no one catches every error (though some catch 99.99%), so I cast no aspersions. Besides, in any publication worth its salt, there are several stages of reading, multiple opportunities to correct problems, plenty of blame to spread around. No error belongs to only one person. That said, this page is not a publication worth its salt, and any error here is solely my responsibility.

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