Where oh where is a proofreader or editor when you need one? Apparently none was around when the following language crimes were committed. Here’s what the Grammar Cop found this week:

1. This article on VOX.COM starts off with an unfortunate grammatical error. I say unfortunate because you start reading, see it, choke on it, and immediately (if you’re me) think, “Oh no! Another writer who can’t write!”… But it’s really quite a good article… except for the missing five (5!) periods sprinkled throughout. Come to think of it, the writing isn’t that good. 😉 Anyway, here’s what the author is busted for: “The American media, over the past year, has been trying to work out…”  And that’s in the first sentence! It’s a common enough mistake. Media is plural. (It’s a Latin word.) The singular, which I’m sure most people have heard of, is medium. The verb here should be have, not “has.”
2. CNN.COM – “To underscore her support on issues important to African-Americans, Clinton highlighted the role that five mothers of black victims of gun violence who campaigned alongside her in South Carolina.”  Yoo-hoo! Missing words alert! How about replacing “that” with played by.
3. BLOG of a very nice person who probably can’t afford a proofreader (besides me): “The morale of the article is that you should find your own pace.” The writer meant moral.

The moral of all this is: read over your work or, better yet, have someone else do so, before you publish it.