SIGforum
Poor Writing, Non-Existant Proof-Reading

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/230601935/m/9500067174

June 29, 2020, 05:08 AM
triggertreat
Poor Writing, Non-Existant Proof-Reading
quote:
Originally posted by PHPaul:
On the subject of proof reading, I check my typing before posting and still wind up going back and editing the post later. Something about seeing it "live" versus editing while typing.


Im that way too.



I'm alright it's the rest of the world that's all screwed up!
June 29, 2020, 06:47 AM
erj_pilot
^^^^^
Same here...



"If you’re a leader, you lead the way. Not just on the easy ones; you take the tough ones too…” – MAJ Richard D. Winters (1918-2011), E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil... Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel." - Isaiah 5:20,24
June 29, 2020, 07:22 AM
V-Tail
quote:
Originally posted by triggertreat:
quote:
Originally posted by PHPaul:
On the subject of proof reading, I check my typing before posting and still wind up going back and editing the post later. Something about seeing it "live" versus editing while typing.
Im that way too.
Big Grin



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
June 29, 2020, 07:57 AM
Modern Day Savage
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
I just caught two annoying errors in back-to-back paragraphs in a book that I'm currently reading:
  • "ground crewmen ran out to place chalks against the landing gear," and

  • "One of the two pilots, Air Force Lieutenant Commander"
Things like this really diminish my enjoyment of a book.


I'm in complete agreement on the poor spelling and misused words issue and how pervasive the issue is. I don't have an E-reader of any sort, but catch the issue in news articles almost daily. I'm guilty myself and have had my share of mistakes get through, but try to proof read my posts.

I blame a combination of schools not emphasizing proper spelling/ grammar, along with today's tech features like auto-correct...and, of course, the rush to publish or print negating proof reading.

It has actually gotten to the point in which I take pleasure when I read or, especially listen to someone who actually speaks well. I just caught an audio interview with the director of the Heritage Foundation, Kay C. James, and that lady spoke and annunciated so well I could have listened to her read a phone book or grocery list.

On the actual mistakes, the chalk/ chock caught my eye immediately, but regarding the usage of Commander, not having the benefit of having read the book or sentence it was used in, is there any chance that it could actually reference a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander pilot detached and flying in the U.S. Air Force?

While it isn't necessarily common, there are members from one service branch serving in another service. I recently caught an interview with one U.S. pilot who, at different points in his career, flew for the Navy, the Army, and the Marine Corps. Military test pilots can go through one of two Test Pilot schools, and it is possible for U.S. Air Force pilots to go through the Navy test pilot school at Pax river or Navy pilots to go through the Air Force Test Pilot school at Edwards.

There are also examples in which U.S. Navy pilots are detached to fly in the Air Force Aggressor squadron and I'm aware of Navy F-18 pilots flying Air Force F-16s.
June 29, 2020, 08:10 AM
henryaz
quote:
Originally posted by egregore:
It is - or was - common with newspaper ads taken over the phone to see errors like 4wd trucks with "wenches,"

I saw an ad for a Chevy with a 12 volt rear.



When in doubt, mumble
June 29, 2020, 08:51 AM
V-Tail
quote:
Originally posted by henryaz:

I saw an ad for a Chevy with a 12 volt rear.
Speaking of ads -- back in the late 1960s I lived and worked in Puerto Rico. The San Juan Star was an English language newspaper; my co-workers and I all subscribed to it.

While English was the first language for most of the reporters and editorial writers, it was clear that some of the report staff had English as a second language.

I remember seeing an ad that started, "Blue shit company . . ."



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
June 29, 2020, 10:27 AM
sigfreund
As I’ve mentioned before, I refer to such mistakes as “speed bumps” because for me they are irritants and distractions that interrupt the flow of the read. I guess I should in a way be envious of the people who don’t notice and aren’t bothered by such things. I read a lot because it’s one of my primary forms of entertainment and sources of information, though, and they make a difference. I finished a book recently by Harold Coyle who has written historical and speculative fiction for years, and whose books I usually enjoy. This one, however, had spelling/usage errors on literally almost every page. Whatever proofreading the book had been subject to was obviously nothing more than the automatic MS Word sort: the words were spelled correctly, but they weren’t the right word for the context.

A book I’m reading right how mentions a Marine “lieutenant” corporal.

“He who writes carelessly confesses thereby at the very outset that he does not attach much importance to his own thoughts. ” — Arthur Schopenhauer




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
June 29, 2020, 06:11 PM
M1Garandy
quote:
Originally posted by Windhover:
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by Windhover:
quote:
Originally posted by M1Garandy:

About 22 years ago I was so annoyed my the technical errors in a book about locating and restoring vintage aircraft that I wrote the author a letter with all the mistakes I found...
Since we are nitpicking...

Wink
Would you concede that there is a bit of difference between a simply typo possibly caused by using a small keypad on a phone, and blatant use of incorrect terms?

And a difference between somebody posting a comment on a forum like this, vs. a published book that should have had the attention of an editor and / or a proofreader?


Oh I concede your point. I just thought it was humorous that a response in support of your rant about lack of proof-reading was not proof read before hitting “Post Now” button.


I walked right into that one!

I fixed it too. Wink
June 30, 2020, 10:39 AM
IntrepidTraveler
Eye seam too notice more on e-books rather than paper.




Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the States, unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine-millimeter bullet.
- Dave Barry

"Never go through life saying 'I should have'..." - quote from the 9/11 Boatlift Story (thanks, sdy for posting it)
June 30, 2020, 11:40 AM
Georgeair
I'm convinced Stephen King purposely has his work proofread to fuck up any firearms/ammo reference he somehow got right and change them back to some nonsensical bullshit just to piss us off.

quote:
bit of difference between a simply typo possibly


Gold.



You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02

June 30, 2020, 11:42 AM
sns3guppy
The problem is that with Kindle and some other media platforms, the pay is low for writing, and there's no requirement for professional editing. Many writers get published through Amazon and other sources who have no real place getting published, or are self-published, and whom never take occasion to seek a professional source of editing.

I am deeply dismayed at the quality of product that's not just available commercially, but out there today. I belong to several writers sites, and am often appalled at what passes for writing, or what's allowed to pass. Reading bad writing, bad grammar, or spelling and word use is painful. To put it out there for sale in unconscionable.

I done seen way too much. It ain't right, I tell ya. It just ain't right.
July 01, 2020, 12:46 PM
V-Tail
I rarely fail to finish reading a book that I have started. Sort of an irrational compulsion. The book really has to be pretty bad for me to abandon it. The one that I referred to is really bad. Delete from Kindle.

On to the next one: Solomon and Lord by Paul Levine. Very well written, Levine is a craftsman, great writing skill, brings the characters alive, and funny. A courtroom exchange:

Judge: "Are we ready to proceed?"

Solomon: "Yes, your honor."

Judge: "Call your first witness."

Solomon: "Defense calls Mr. Ruffles."

Lord: "OBJECTION!"

Judge: "On what grounds?"

Lord: "Mr. Ruffles is a bird."



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
July 09, 2020, 05:46 PM
Scooter123
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
My idea of a relaxing evening at home is a quiet time with my Kindle reader. I don't enjoy TV, I would much rather spend an hour immersed in a book.

My enjoyment comes to a screeching halt when I find glaring errors in a book, errors that the writer should have gotten right, and an editor or proof-reader failed to catch.

I just caught two annoying errors in back-to-back paragraphs in a book that I'm currently reading:
  • "ground crewmen ran out to place chalks against the landing gear," and

  • "One of the two pilots, Air Force Lieutenant Commander"
Things like this really diminish my enjoyment of a book.


Don't ever read Lee Child, his firearms errors in his Jack Reacher books are Monumental. In one book he ended up investigating a murder of someone who was unrecognizable because he was shot in the face by 1 single round of 22LR. Btw, it turned out the body was Jack Reacher's brother. That must have been one heck of a round of 22LR.


I've stopped counting.
July 10, 2020, 06:51 PM
mas4363
If I had the time, important email / letters were composed on one day and checked on the following day. I found errors were easier to find because my mind would not remember what I wrote in my head and see missing words that were not there. I also rewrote or removed some sentences/ paragraphs when I had the chance to review them at a later time or day.

There is no excuse for a paid proofreader not catching mistakes in a manuscript. The same goes for any technical information.



Sgt. USMC 1970 - 1973
July 10, 2020, 07:44 PM
.38supersig
My smell checker makes me type things I didn't Nintendo.




July 14, 2020, 08:35 AM
joel9507
It's been years since I have read a printed book without at least one obvious writing gaffe. Grammar, spelling - you name it.

I give printed work less slack than online stuff, as a book publisher generally has at least one professional editor go over the work before releasing it to the printer. Kindle versions of printed books also don't get a pass from me - plenty of well-educated, linguistic professionals involved and those were subjected to one additional review while being Kindled.

Becomes a meta-game when reading on the Kindle app - I use the app's highlighter to mark the goofs. I don't do that to printed materials as I was raised not to deface books, but it is a sore temptation.
July 14, 2020, 12:41 PM
SPWAMike0317
quote:
errors like 4wd trucks with "wenches


That may have been a great deal, not an error. Also in the correct plural form (bonus points).



Let me help you out. Which way did you come in?
July 14, 2020, 04:08 PM
sns3guppy
A typo or spelling error ins't great, but I can overlook it. With authors doing more self-publishing and being too cheap to hire a copy editor, it's not surprising, and given that everyone uses word processing any more, it seems that spelling is a lost art.

What really bugs me are things like slipping between present and past tense (Susan fetched the TV remote and found the Hallmark channel, so I get up and go to the fridge). Fingernails on a chalk board. Incorrect words, poor vocabulary, lack of research, and overuse of pronouns (She said to him as they ate that he wasn't what she saw in him when she met him--FUCK!!), to say nothing of punctuation, lack of familiarity with the concept of the paragraph, and run-on sentences (like this one).

The ability to self-publish has enabled many authors who really shouldn't hava a voice until after they've put in a little more work than hen-scratching out a very rough first draft. The crime is compounded when they offer that crap up for sale.

Then again, the most prolific writer in recorded history is Patterson, and his writing is terrible. Doesn't stop it from selling like hotcakes, apparently. I don't just blame the writer, but also the reader. The connoisseur of McDonalds leaves little incentive to improve the menu.
July 27, 2020, 10:54 AM
tacfoley
Back in 1995, my wife gave me a birthday gift of 'biography' of the late Michael Wittmann, one of a very small handful of WW2 tankers to achieve fame in both the Balkans and Normandy.

The book was concocted by one Gary L Simpson, who served four years in the US Air Force, and, at the time of publication, was in the Idaho NG.

Being selective about the contents, I can tell you that between page 6 - the introduction - and page 332, there is barely a single paragraph of text that is free of either a spelling mistake, a factual mistake, a comic-book comment, hyperbole or just plain ol'fashioned crap.

I reviewed the book for a magazine, and opined that it's sole use was for holding a door either open or shut. My review was not used. Instead, the other critic noted the 'exuberant style of writing' that I had likened to the very worst of Marvel comics.

This book cost a not unsubstantial $35 in the US, which was inflated to almost $70 when it went on sale here.

My summary was that while there were some good images in it, there were also many good images of the same thing in books already published that did not entail reading hundreds of brain-numbing pages of utter shite.
July 27, 2020, 11:12 AM
sns3guppy
It's okay to say shit.