Editors confess: We all make grammar and proofreading goofs

Communicators make embarrassing confessions about typos and proofreading errors

Last month I wrote an e-mail that was sent to over 11,000 members ofMyRagan.com. I read it over, then a proofreader took a look and made a few minor changes before I perused it once more and gave it the OK.

In an instant, the e-mail was sent and the horse—as they say—was out of the barn.

In my mind, the subject line of that e-mail said: “HR at its worst.” In reality, the subject line said: “HR at its worse.”

A dashing mistake

Julie DeSilva, the director of editorial services at ProofreadNOW.com, provides a primer on dashes.

I panicked when this ghastly mistake hit my inbox. Oh no, I said, oh no no. But it was too late. What is it they say about not putting the horse back in the barn?

My response was quick and decisive: Admit the mistake and make light of it. I hastily logged onto MyRagan and whipped out a blog post explaining what happened and asked fellow communicators to share their examples of proofreading goofs.