I do worry at times about Ireland's weather forecasters and their educational standards especially when I read this on Met Éireann -The Irish Meteorological Service this morning that :
"Temperatures will recover a little on Monday, reaching the mid to late teens by afternoon"
I can only presume that the writer's mind was caught up with a teenage problems at the time and what they meant was 'mid to high teens'
The same grammatical error was copied by RTÉ Weather's journalist and presumably no checks are ever done....
"Temperatures will recover a little on Monday, reaching the mid to late teens by afternoon"
I can only presume that the writer's mind was caught up with a teenage problems at the time and what they meant was 'mid to high teens'
The same grammatical error was copied by RTÉ Weather's journalist and presumably no checks are ever done....
I do believe Microsoft has yet to invent context checkers. As for actual human being checkers...well, dream on.
ReplyDeleteJoanne Microsoft have nothing to do with this.
DeleteChecking and proof reading have everything to do with the publishing of articles, regardless of their subject.
I quite often correct people's writing at work and even send emails out with posters attached on various points of grammar, punctuation etc. The latest was about their, there and they're. Luckily I am the English teacher and they all consider me a little dotty anyway!! Xxx
ReplyDeleteHello Fran, I can totally understand why you would do that, even though I am not and never have been a teacher.
DeleteI did though once work in a technical publications firm and when not illustrating, I would help out as a proof reader of documents; sloppy usage can lead to all sorts of literary misdemeanours....
Local radio stations seem to be the worst for this.
ReplyDeleteI have heard their so called journalists not know how to read out some words, not understand the meanings of other words and once heard a TV broadcaster say 'jen jees khan' instead of Genghis Khan. Another said 'County Armer' instead of County Armagh
Thank you for your contribution Suzie. Yes I have heard very similar mispronunciations on both sides of The Irish Sea. Some of them completely understandable when one takes into account the various dialects involved with place names: for instance in Cornwall there a small coastal village named MOUSEHOLE which is pronounced by it's locals as Mow-zull.
DeleteThe way in which A is said in most of England, sounds to the Irish ear as if it has an R on the end and H too over here in Ireland as you probably know is said much softer.
I think I might go and hide away - it is the sort of thing I would say.
ReplyDeleteOh come now don't be shy.... I don't believe it is in your Yorkshire nature to do so ! xx
DeleteAs a teacher, I used to be very intolerant of grammar and vocabulary mistakes, but now I'm a writer as well, I know how easily they can happen! This one is a classic though, Mel. I love the idea of the temperature being in its late teens. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAs you say Val, it is a classic !
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