Yesterday brought a double boob from the Beeb:*
The issue here is criteria, which is, of course, the plural form of criterion. To agree in number, as English verbs are expected to do, the related verb forms should be plural, i.e. 'the criteria that determine […] protect'.
This is not an uncommon error, but a reader might expect — and certainly deserves, given both how the
corporation is funded and its extensive educational output — better from the Beeb. (It may be that this instance of the error originated in material intended for use by the media, published or supplied by a governmental department; but the government's stance is reported rather than quoted, so responsibility in the above example remains with the BBC's writer.
The BBC's journalists might try reading some of the educational material provided by their employer. The difference between criterion and criteria is certainly understood by the compiler of the BBC's Welsh online dictionary, for instance.
* The screenshot detail comes from the Android edition, but the error is reproduced on the linked webpage.
No comments:
Post a Comment