Multimangle, # 54

Dubious grammar and punctuation:

Link: The Scotman, ‘Scots Students Losing out to English at Home Universities’

number … are + punctuation

Double-take, # 240

A noun-verb mismatch in the headline is supported by an odd turn of phrase in the subheading, plus a possible eggcorn:

Link: WalesOnline

Box of retro Wales shirts […] are discovered; youth shirts; packages for packaging

Multimangle, # 26

The stone circle alluded to here certainly predates the apostrophe, and the name applied to it may well do, but the modern signage at the site does not and apostrophes consistently appear in the name on the official website (of which more tomorrow). It is also not apparent why the name here is treated as a plural when ‘The Rollright Stones’ — equally plural to the naked eye — takes singular verb forms on the website (where this name does not appear as a subject); nor why the superfluous singular subject noun in the first paragraph on the sign is treated as if plural:

Kings Men

You Cannot Be Serious, # 51

This pair of adjacent Twitter posts fits nicely into an ongoing thread (here and in discussion on the blog’s Facebook page) on notional agreement, most recently featured last weekend. The contributor, Des Pond of Slough, comments: ‘At least they’re consistent. Kinda sorta.’

Link: Twitter.com, Warwickshire Police, 20 August 2015

unit have; are one

Spellchecking Is Never Enough, # 193

This mangle from Dr Faustus shows a mispositioned space resulting in nonsensical text, despite the fact that the words exist. Some might find the use, in the same sentence, of a singular noun with plural pronoun and verb to be on the borderline of grammatical acceptability as notional agreement:

Link: Channel 5, Suspects

behind the mall the way; team show