This metro editor’s pet peeves

My list of pet peeves is so long, I have subcategories for them -- including one for editing.

This blog was prompted by an announcement I just received about a group of educators meeting at Poynor Adult/Community Education Center here in Florence. Only the group spelled it "Poyner."

My reporters know that for me, misspelling Poynor is a cardinal sin. That's because Poynor is directly across the street from our offices, so if you're not sure about the spelling, all you have to do is look through the front windows at one of the many signs outside the Poynor building. There's no excuse for spelling that wrong, and I go absolutely bonkers when someobdy on my staff makes that mistake.

As for the group that submitted the announcement with the Poynor misspelling, it seems this isn't the first time it's held meetings there. So why didn't they spell Poynor correctly? It's especially unsettling because the group is made up of educators. But, this isn't the only group that regularly has meetings at Poynor and spells it wrong in its announcements.

Another common error I see is "formally" instead of "formerly." This most often shows up in announcements from funeral homes, and I'm not sure why. I'll expound on fun with local funeral homes in some other blog, though.

Something else I'm seeing more and more is "everyday" instead of "every day." "Everyday" is supposed to be used as an adjective, people! I blame musician Dave Matthews who put out an album a few years ago called "Everyday." Everyday WHAT, Dave?

I'm not saying I never make mistakes or that some don't slip past me when I'm editing. But I think I speak for all the editors at the Morning News when I say some jump out at us much more than others.

These are just a few of my least favorite things I felt like sharing on this kinda dreary Monday.

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