Patrick Neylan
@AngrySubEditor
Freelance writer and editor. Publisher of business reports. Professional member of @The_CIEP. Occasional actor. All opinions are now your opinions.
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Commentators on @bbctms keep confusing "dissect" (cut up) and "bisect" (cut in half).
Writers should stop using "drop" as a synonym for "release". The headline "BBC drops drama series" suggests that the series has been cancelled.
Sorry, this job ad actually offends me. "Sub Editor - Maidstone ME14" They want an editor, subeditor, writer, picture researcher, marketer, statistician, PA and receptionist. Three days a week, on-site, and you might get as much as £17pa (less if you lack experience).
It's ironic that @ReedsyHQ insists on the highest standards for editors with the stipulation: "If this criteria can’t be fulfilled…"
Every now and then I remind @AmazonUK that their listing for a book I edited shows the cover from a completely different book. Nearly seven years on, they still haven't corrected it because their automated, human-free systems are infallible.
Another email, this time from @ebay, stating: "Ensuring your data is secure is our top priority." It might be important to you – and I hope it is – but I very much doubt it's your top priority.
A British perspective on "bail out" vs "bale out": A bail is a bucket, used to throw water out of a sinking boat. So a bail-out is a rescue. A bale is a bundle, sometimes thrown out of a plane, maybe attached to a paratrooper. So a bale-out is an escape or abandonment.
Finished editing a book and got it back from the proofreader (a friend and long-time colleague). He's made nearly 3,000 changes. His mindset seems to be that if he CAN make a change, he will. It doesn't need to be an improvement; it just needs to be possible. #AmEditing
I'm starting to accept "competency" as "officially certified competence". Maybe I'm late to this one.
Given that obituaries are written well in advance with the only edit on publication being "who has died aged XX", you'd think that the @BBCNews obit of #AlexSalmond would have been properly proofread. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
Well done @bbcnews. You managed to get EE's product placement in the photo but didn't bother to tell us who this person is.
From LinkedIn: "Is translating educational theories into actionable assessments your superpower?" Am I the only one who reads this as: "Can you create assessments that will get us sued?"
Feeling smug: I've left lots of split infinitives as they are while deleting the word 'very' wherever I find it. #AmEditing
Doing basic fact-checking: start with the organisation's website and discover that the boss wrote the piece I'm checking. I guess he knows what he's talking about. #AmEditing
It's increasingly apparent that expertise in English is no longer considered a qualification to work for @BBCNews and that standards are sacrificed in the rush to publish.
Job ad: "Strong expertise in writing or analysis of equity markets and/or analysing companies" Presumably they said "and/or" in case anyone thought that having expertise in both would rule them out.
Marketing message from @sainsburys comprises 28 words. Terms, conditions, exclusions, etc, comprise 919 words.
The introduction to a 100-page book quotes "Mirriam-Webster". I fear this job will take longer than the client expects. #AmEditing.
Things you learn from @BBCNews: "Having a three-month-old and on statutory maternity pay, Facebook…" I never knew Facebook had a three-month-old child and was on statutory maternity pay. That might explain its distracted behaviour recently. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
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