Polish up your grammar

The occasional typo or a comma out of place "happens" to us all at one time or another, and is usually overlooked or forgiven by the reader. Consistently bad spelling and/or grammar is another matter altogether.

Recently, I received an e-newsletter from a local medical spa (fortunately not the one I frequent). In two pages there were no less than 13 typos and even more grammatical errors.

I find this disturbing. If the doctor in question doesn't care about how he is represented via the written word, is he similarly cavalier about the various injectables and laser treatments he offers? I doubt whether he wrote it himself, but that's no excuse. In the space of the few minutes it took to read through this mess, I had lost all confidence in this doctor and his services.

If grammar and spelling are not your forte, or the forte of whomever you choose to write your print materials, you need to retain the services of a writer. Either this, or have a proofreader go over your work before it is finalized. (By the way, did you know that the word "forte" is properly pronounced fort and not fortay? It comes from the French word fort, meaning strong, but most people pronounce it incorrectly. That included me until very recently.)

My father used always to say "Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth (a half penny's worth) of tar," which means don't put something — in this case your reputation — at risk for the sake of a small sum. (The word "ship" is a dialectal pronunciation of "sheep," which in days of yore were apparently dabbed with tar to prevent insect bites from festering.)

Of course, some typos, grammatical errors and plain bad writing are hilarious and well worth the laugh they generate. One of my favourites was in the menu of a Japanese restaurant in Banff, which was perhaps trying a little too hard to be true-blue Canadian by heading its drink selection "Beaverages." Another favourite came from a local rag in England, where someone had headed an article, "One Thousand Trees to Break Wind." I'm glad I wasn't around when they did...