Oh dear – not quite right – again!

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

A mistake repeated in two recent articles.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

The Editor, Dear Sir

I am shocked, nay flabbergasted, to find that a mistake has occurred in your hallowed journals, not in one edition but twice. The second time is on page 35 of the latest MEW number 328. The first was in ME number 4715, page 549. Perhaps the first error could be excused as ME seems to concentrate almost obsessively with railways, and even then mainly with steam, but MEW is committed, surely, to serving a wider readership, with a less restrictive, and more broad-based, point of view.

I was tempted to write to ME when the first error appeared, but I was persuaded (from the kitchen) that surely, lots of sharp-eyed readers with less to do in their garages would wield their pens, and a correction would follow. Well it didn't, so here goes.

The car engines which are modelled so effectively by Mike Sayers, and shown at the Harrogate exhibition, were made by DELAGE – thus. Not Delarge. No R to be seen. Its not as though the firm was one of those here today and gone tomorrow makes (like Hesketh Motorcycles with which I was briefly involved), Delage started their endeavours in 1906, and survived two world wars, and you can still buy a new one today. Don't take my word for it – Wikepedia tells all.

Regards, Tim Stevens – Knighton, Powys

[Michael Johnson 6Participant @michaeljohnson6]

It's not just ME magazine. On the BBC news this evening Clive Myrie announced that the Dambusters (617 Squadron) were based at RAF SCRAMPTON. As with the previous post there is a rogue letter R in there. It's SCAMPTON! I should know as I was involved in the runway refurbishment a few years ago while the Red Arrows were still based there.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

And then I sat down to read ME which had just arrived. It has obviously been assembled by a relative of Eric Morcambe – all the right pages but not necessarily in the right order …

Tim

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Dear Tim,

There is nothing worse than having you gasp flabbered!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Well I'm useless at English but even I can spot two errors in Tim's opening post so that would seem to make him and the mags quits

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Perhaps Tim was employing irony? A little harder to machine than say, brassery or aluminiumery, but like me, it has it's place in the world.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Seems to be an unlucky month for magazines; two pages of my RadCom are stuck together by a splodge of ink.

In the good old days every copy of Model Engineer was checked personally by the Editor, and the whole team was docked a day's pay if he found a mistake. Percival Marshall was a proper editor; he used to flog author's who got there apostrophe's wrong.

And on the subject of iron discipline, that Geoff Theasby deserves a bl**dy good hiding – his jokes are funnier than mine. Unforgivable!

Dave

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by JasonB on 17/05/2023 07:49:08:

Well I'm useless at English but even I can spot two errors in Tim's opening post so that would seem to make him and the mags quits

Tim seems to have an endless supply of commas.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

The purpose of writing or communication is that those who read can understand what is being said ? That being so then I read and understood that the vehicle maker was DELAGE. On one of my old computers I had a passage of text(4 or 5 lines) where only the first and last words were correctly spelt, all the rest had the right letters but only the first and last were in the right places. One could read and understand perfectly what was being said ! As for Mr Theasby and his jokes —- ! Noel.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

'Tim seems to have an endless supply of commas.'

Maybee but at least he understands Paragraphs.

Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 17/05/2023 09:43:31

Edited By Circlip on 17/05/2023 09:44:50

[John Doe 2Participant @johndoe2]

While we are talking about errors:

There = There is a house.

Their = It is their house.

They're = They're going to renovate the house. (They're = They are).

Three different words that sound identical, but which have different meanings.

[Bryan Cedar 1Participant @bryancedar1]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 17/05/2023 09:17:50:

Seems to be an unlucky month for magazines; two pages of my RadCom are stuck together by a splodge of ink.

In the good old days every copy of Model Engineer was checked personally by the Editor, and the whole team was docked a day's pay if he found a mistake. Percival Marshall was a proper editor; he used to flog author's who got THERE apostrophe's wrong.

And on the subject of iron discipline, that Geoff Theasby deserves a bl**dy good hiding – his jokes are funnier than mine. Unforgivable!

Dave

Why do most people spell their as there on their postings?

[JagerParticipant @jager]

Nothing wrong with a surfiet of commas…..

The Judge said Alice is a fool.

The Judge, said Alice, is a fool.

David…… Q.E. D.🧙‍♂️

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 17/05/2023 09:17:50:

Seems to be an unlucky month for magazines; two pages of my RadCom are stuck together by a splodge of ink.

In the good old days every copy of Model Engineer was checked personally by the Editor, and the whole team was docked a day's pay if he found a mistake. Percival Marshall was a proper editor; he used to flog author's who got there apostrophe's wrong.

And on the subject of iron discipline, that Geoff Theasby deserves a bl**dy good hiding – his jokes are funnier than mine. Unforgivable!

Dave

Is that the correct use of an apostrophe? Or "there".

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Jager on 17/05/2023 10:54:57:

Nothing wrong with a surfiet of commas…..

The Judge said Alice is a fool.

The Judge, said Alice, is a fool.

David…… Q.E. D.🧙‍♂️

That's not a surfeit() but changes to the meaning. Lots of commas instead of better editing is more a style/clarity/economy thing.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

'Why do most people spell their as there on their postings?'

Cos so many were away they did spulling in skool.

"There is there are there was there are – THERE"

Regrinds Ion.

Edited By Circlip on 17/05/2023 11:09:00

[NealebParticipant @nealeb]

Along with nostalgia, irony is not what it used to be – recognised…

[John Doe 2Participant @johndoe2]

Also :

Your = Your house.

You're = You're going to renovate the house. (You're = you are).

Often seen confused with each other.

[A SmithParticipant @asmith78105]

Draw used as a substitute for drawer.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

I am not the person to correct peoples spelling or how they do things like on u tube. I do however get a little upset at people who do pull up people for getting things wrong or in their eyes see someone doing something on U tube wrong or the long away around.

If these people can do better why not do the job in the first place. I don't see those that pull up people doing write ups or even videos. Is it because they know that they could not do better or just armchair machinists

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Commas can make sense of sentences that are just gibberish without them.

Make sense of this…

Smith where Jones had had had had had had had had had had had the examiner's approval.

Smith where Jones had had had, had had had had, had had had had the examiner's approval.

Quotation marks makes it even clearer.

Smith where Jones had had 'had', had had 'had had', 'had had' had had the examiner's approval.

[ZanParticipant @zan]

Well Tim if you don’t like the articles there’s two solutions.

Stop reading it

write something which isn’t steam or locomotive based.

The editor can only publish the copy which is sent to him

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

No, Jason, I will not accept your premise that my output here needs to be 'professional' (ie as good as an editor should be) as I am not paid for what I write.

Pay me for my input and I will be sure to take more care, and if you don't pay me, then don't pick holes (lest your own holes and those, eg, of Nick, become the subject of disdain).

The use of commas is, in any event, a matter of fashion. I make no claim to be fashionable, I try to be clear.

Tim

Edited By Tim Stevens on 17/05/2023 14:29:46

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Maybe an understanding of the Emoji I used will help, particularly the humorous bit

[Author]

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