Hi all! Here is this week’s mini-roundup of gaffes as collected by your servant, the ever-humble Grammar Cop Extraordinaire.

1. From SALON.COM: In an essay on the Republican party of late – “…when the intellectual cupboard is bare, you make due with what’s still left on the shelves…”  Well, personally, I had to make do with this article.
2. From EXAMINER.COM: In a review of Spotlight – “The cast as a whole is brilliant and help to flesh out what are an overwhelming number of attorneys, priests, and journalists engulfed in a scandal that challenges those of faith and those without.” Hoo boy! Where to start! Okay, I’ll start small: since “the cast” here is presented in a singular form (the cast is brilliant), which is fine, the writer should at least be consistent and make the verb “help” singular too, so it should be helps. The next verb mistake is “are” in the phrase, “what are an overwhelming number of…” That should be is, so you have what is an overwhelming number. The verb is pertains to the noun, number, which is singular. My last edit would be to break up the sentence; it is too long and confusing, with too many clauses. I would at least place a semicolon after “journalists” and add they are right after it. Actually, you know what? I’m still not happy with it. I would rewrite the whole darn thing, like so: The brilliant cast fleshes out an overwhelming number of attorneys, priests and journalists who are engulfed in a scandal challenging those of faith as well as the faithless. It could probably be condensed even further, but the Grammar Cop is tired now, and has yet one more boo-boo to show you.
3. In VARIETY.COM: in a review of The Martian – “…celebration of human intelligence in a genre that so often hinges on speed, braun or sheer midi-chlorian levels…” First of all, it’s brawn, unless you’re talking about an appliance brand. Second of all, the author assumes everyone must know what the heck “midi-chlorian” means. I had to Google it. You may do the same.

May the Force be with you. 😉