Re: Jacob Rees-Mogg lays the law down on Grammar.
I would imagine most young people would laugh about Grammar even being important enough to discuss in today's modern world. After all, most correspondence is usually via WhatsApp or Text with shortcuts such U for You and 4 for Four or For etc. Even when sending a Birthday Card, I even do it via Moonpig or The Dog's Doodah. so never having to write anything with necessary punctuation. In fact, the only time I seem to type anything where punctuation etc has to be used, is on OFF.
I know just how important checking one's work is though. I have told this before but when I was working in London as part of a secretarial pool, I had to type an extremely important 46 page A4 document from Shell Headquarters to one of their overseas board meetings due to be held that evening.
The originator's writing was quite clear so with the assistance of a packet of Smith's Crisps and a carton of Orange Juice, I got through the task during the morning.
Then came the second task of proof-reading it. I knew that what I had typed was correct as I had checked it page by page before commencing with the next, but now I was going through it thoroughly to ensure all paragraphs, Capital letters and correct punctuation was where it should all be, as well as the all-important correct spelling.
By the time I got to proof-reading the very last A4 page with absolutely no errors so far, I was feeling very self-satisfied with my work and looking forward to lunch with the girls. That was my biggest error! because I didn't do the job properly. I happily handed the document over to someone to fax it overseas, ready for the Board members to have for their meeting. My immediate boss even patted me on the back for getting it done so quickly.
Off to lunch I went.
One hour later, I returned to my desk to face my Boss, whose exacts words were. Oh God, Mary, what did you do??? and showed me the very last line of the very last page, where I had typed the sentence " So in conclusion, the counts are correct". but Dear Lord, I had missed out the letter 'o' in the word 'counts'.
I really cannot tell you how I felt at that moment in time. My head was spinning, (could have been the lunchtime glass of wine I guess) but I really thought I was going to be sacked! but thank goodness, the board members at Shell thought it was absolutely hilarious after the initial shock of reading that disgusting word that no decent person would ever utter. Even my boss had a chuckle about it after finding that no action was being taken against me.
Needless to say though, I was mortified over such a dreadful error.
Phew, that's why I fully support 'thoroughly' checking one's work, right to the very last word! .