Spelling Geeks on Nationwide Crusade Against Typos!
I heard a story about the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL) on public radio, in a "guess which news story is real" game. The mission of TEAL (dedicated to a more perfectly spelling union) appeals to me.
You see, I try not to be uppity when it comes to language, grammar, and spelling. I know I'm not perfect! However, I am the kind of person who gets annoyed when there are errors in publications. I catch myself thinking, "Come on! Proofread that before you put it on television!" "Why didn't you spell-check before that magazine was printed?" "Don't they know the difference between there and their?" And don't even get me started on the topic of apostrophic abuse (the misuse of apostrophes). Please!
Now, a TEAL team, led by passionate proofreader Jeff Deck of Boston, Massachusetts, is traveling the country to clean up spelling mistakes on public displays around the United States.
This March through May, we, sworn members of TEAL, will be taking a road trip around the country to stamp out as many typos as we can find, in public signage and other venues where innocent eyes may be befouled by vile stains on the delicate fabric of our language. We do not blame, nor chastise, the authors of these typos. It is natural for mistakes to occur; everybody will slip now and again. But slowly the once-unassailable foundations of spelling are crumbling, and the time has come for the crisis to be addressed. We believe that only through working together with vigilance and a love of correctness can we achieve the beauty of a typo-free society.Armed with markers, chalk, adhesive letters, and white-out, they are circling the US, fearlessly correcting typos on all kinds of signs and labels. You can follow their progress on Typo Hunt Across America, and see before and after photos of their noble work. It almost makes me want to put a typo correction kit in my purse and do a little vigilante editing around my own town. Keep up the good work, Champions of Correctness! :-)
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
At the same time that this news is absolutely delightful, it’s slightly creepy that an army of spelling nazis is coming o_O
Crystal’s last blog post..The Art of Negotiation
Interesting. Disturbing but interesting.
Jim - Just a Guy’s last blog post..Weekly Blog Storming
Uh ohhhh. I better start paying attention to my comma usage.
BigPappa’s last blog post..“What I Found In My Email” Mondays. Vol.2 - Issue 11
I’m saving it to scare myself with.
Laura’s last blog post..Fancy Tabbed Header
My spelling is okay, my grammar is typically over done. =oP
Christy’s last blog post..When celebrities talk
Have you seen http://www.apostropheabuse.com/? That TEAL team needs to come to my town during Halloween, when all the stores have signs advertising “Halloween Costume’s and Mask’s”. It drives me completely bonkers!
Elizabeth’s last blog post..Not a typical Tuesday morning
Isn’t it funny how spelling and grammar mistakes catch one’s attention long before you have even really understood what it is that you have just read. My first language is not English, so I am definitely far from perfect in my own usage of the language, but even I pick up so many mistakes on a daily basis. Some of the blogs out there are definitely some of the biggest culprits.
arnold’s last blog post..Internet security
That is awesome! My husband needs to sign up, he flips over typos. I am a little more forgiving!
Jillian’s last blog post..Tips For a Successful Relationship: The Four C’s and One H
You should start at my daughter’s school! She brought home an English paper where a student teacher marked out herded and wrote hearded above it. Huh?
I think I’m pretty forgiving when it comes to casual writing, but when I see a typo on something important, I get annoyed, in spite of myself. My first memory of correcting someone else’s spelling was in grade school. A teacher had misspelled “statistics” as “statics.”
One Saturday morning I was watching a local news station and noticed 5 typos which consisted of spelling, grammar, apostrophe abuse. I couldn’t stand it and immediately called the station and let them know. They fixed all but one, I’m not sure why either. Ironically, not 7 minutes after I called, they aired the story about the “Typo Hunt Across America.” (I was never able to find the information on their website about it…) I always end up making corrections to 3 local newspapers for fun, I really cannot help it. One thing that bothers me the most about it, is how these people keep their jobs while there are others who are better at it. Plus, I don’t understand how a publication, newspaper, etc., expects anyone to take it seriously if it has so much trouble going by the rules of the English language.
Leave a Comment