Double-take, # 189

Here is a major mismatch between the formulation of a question and the possible answers offered by Yorkshire Bank:

How long have you […]? [n year(s)] ago

Singular or Plural? # 13

We haven’t featured this mangle since March 2013, but its repeated use on the Nationwide Building Society’s website shows that it hasn’t gone away. Here’s one example:

Link: Nationwide, ‘Savings’

criteria applies

Not Washed or Cooked, # 83

This heading from the Canadian Huffington Post

Link: The Huffington Post — Canada, ‘A Rain Storm of Good and Bad News for Global Markets’

seems to be caught between markets and meerkats. Use a spellchecker — simples!

Not Washed or Cooked, # 51

Another spell-checking and proofreading fail from the Telegraph’s Finance section:

Link: The Telegraph, ‘The best cash incentives offered by banks’

Maybe that’s why the Rolling Stones couldn’t get any…

Mangling Meaning, # 14

One of several mangles in a booklet issued by a UK university to explain its pension scheme:

How many in a couple?

The Government's official website seems to have an uncommon perception of how many people can be involved in a marriage:

 Link: GOV.UK, Money and tax | Income Tax | Benefits & credits | Married Couple's Allowance

The writer might usefully consult Oxford Dictionaries (which, as previously noted, is not always 100% accurate, but is sound on this topic) to discover the correct construction and usage of comparative and superlative adjectives.