In Ann Marlowe's review of Robert Greenfield's biography of Tiimothy Leary, linked to in my previous post, occurs this sentence:
"More importantly for those who believed psychedelics could have great potential in psychotherapy, the Leary circus created a hysteria around LSD that lead to Congress making it illegal and effectively shutting down further research."
"... a hysteria around LSD that lead ..." The past tense of the verb to lead is led. People make this mistake, I gather, because the noun desingating the metal lead is spelled the same way the verb is and is pronounced led.
Ann Marlowe is obviously bright and well-educated. Unfortunately, like many bright and well-educated people these days - because I see this particular error over and over - she does not know how to spell the past tense of the verb to lead.
Melville..LOL...I love that can of womrs...par of my 'voice' is turning nouns into verbs...LOL...i'd drive you to distraction!
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is when people who are published use 'their' in place of 'there'!
Apparently I can't spell either...LOL
ReplyDeleteI forgot loan for lend, Melville. And garnishee. Another one is misusing the phrase "begging the question," as in "this begs the question" - the question in question then following. Obviously, fewer and fewer people know what a petitio principii is (premising your argument on the point needing to be proved).
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement with all of you ... I have experienced each and every one of the examples you have mentioned ... and more.
ReplyDeleteI transcribe television news scripts for a website. I come from a background that includes plenty of print ... and, I think that has been a tremendous help to my writing ...
Ours is a small, television 'teaching' market where young people hone their skills before moving on to 'bigger and better' markets ...
I have come to suspect I might be the only one with an AP Style Manual on my desk ... sometimes, I wonder if I might be the only one with a dictionary there, as well.