TYPOS - THE DEVIL IN THE DETALE

 

I have a knack for spotting other people's errors and faux pas. Unfortunately, I am not nearly as sharp when it comes to recognizing my own, despite having earned a reputation as a nitpicker and fault-finder. This trait has won me more than a few enemies, although my intentions are good - I simply wish to help.

What I have noticed, however, is that those at the receiving end of my corrections rarely admit to mistakes. Instead, they hide behind the convenient excuse of a "typo."

My Random House Webster's Dictionary defines a typographical error as "an error in printed or typewritten matter resulting from striking the improper key of a keyboard, from mechanical failure, or the like." Yet somehow, when someone writes that Napoleon was born in France instead of Corsica, it’s waved off as a "typo." If a writer uses then for than, it was clearly a typo. Their for there? Again, a typo. It seems typo now covers everything from slip-ups to sheer ignorance.

Which reminds me of Dr. Johnson. When asked why he had made a mistake, he didn’t mutter anything about typos. He replied simply: “Ignorance, dear madam, pure ignorance.”

From now on, I shall try to follow his honest example: I will own my errors, not blame them on "typos," and strive not to repeat them. I hope you’ll follow suit.