The homonym spelling error that most makes me pull my hair out actually hit the NYTimes Magazine: "loose" for "lose." It's so prevalent I dare say it threatens to overtake the proper spelling. Call me a pedant. I hate hate hate it.
Speaking of word wars, Edmund White's "The Married Man" is very compelling, and he keeps teaching me new French words I did not know. The protagonist is an American living in France who eventually tries to go back to the U.S. with his younger French boyfriend, who is not yet divorced with his snazzy wife. U.S. immigration snags and the self-doubt of being the older, seropositive partner take over, and the culture shock of teaching on a liberal arts campus makes the situation worse.
His observations on language and behavior are pretty entertaining. And I can root for him even more because I know he will never loose his marbles no matter how far or hard he falls off his rocker...
I'm not even sure that it's a homonym. Just lazy, illiterate scribbling which passes for writing in this century.
ReplyDeleteWe need to rein this in. No, not reign. That's my pet peeve. I'd say I see "reign" three times for every time I see rein. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteTrying to give the benefit of the doubt... Though with published works I'm not sure why...
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