It has caused chaos across the region, with places like the Philippines and Hong Kong among those affected
BBC News online, September 24, 2025
What places are like the Philippines and Hong Kong? Instead of ‘like’, use ‘such as’ or ‘including’. In this case it is redundant: a better phrasing would be ‘with the Philippines and Hong Kong among affected places’.
The Spectator evening briefing, September 23, 2025
This is a classic example of the wrong use of a comma. Many people think you should always use one before ‘who’, ‘whose’ or ‘which’, but it depends on the meaning. In this case the part of the sentence about the arrest defines which asylum seeker you are talking about so no comma is wanted. If on the other hand it was a piece of relevant information which did not define him, for example ‘The Queen, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, was given a bouquet’, you would enclose that clause with commas.
BBC Sport online, June 1, 2025
In the old days I would have been horrified to see this error on the BBC but now I more or less expect it.
From Style Matters:
defuse/diffuse: To defuse means to disable an explosive device by removing the fuse or reduce tension in a confrontation; to diffuse (verb) means to dilute or scatter, as in ‘the sunlight was diffused through the trees’, or it can be used an adjective as in ‘the diffused sunlight’. Watch out for this, as diffuse is often wrongly used in copy when defuse is meant.
Times, March 3, 2025
It is a basic piece of knowledge that Jack Daniel’s has an apostrophe. This is inexcusable from the Times, though nothing surprises me.
The i Paper, February 15, 2025
It would be a sad state of affairs if your readers could not tell the difference between Eric Morecambe and his desk. The obvious way to deal with it is to have a caption under the two pictures on the lines of
Eric Morecambe and the desk at his home
The i Paper, February 12, 2025
‘Admittance’ is to do with entering a place as in ‘No admittance’. Confusingly, ‘admission’ can also be used in the same context, as in ‘Admission £12’. However the two words are not interchangeable when the meaning is ‘confession’, as here. Only ‘admission’ will do.
The i Paper, February 11, 2025
It can be assumed that unless we are told otherwise, a ‘play area’ or ‘playground’ is intended for children.
The i Paper, February 11, 2025
‘Affect’ and ‘effect’ are not synonyms and anyone calling him or herself a sub-editor should be well aware of the difference.
From Style Matters:
affect/effect: To affect (verb) means to produce a result as in ‘cold weather affects the growth of plants’, or to touch the feelings as in ‘she was badly affected by the death of her mother’; effect (verb) is to bring about, as in ‘he effected an improvement’; effect (noun) is a result, as in ‘the effect of poison is death’.
So this should read ‘the effect it would have . . .’
The i Paper, February 10, 2025
Not the first time I have mentioned this – I dare not check the online dictionaries as by now they are sure to be saying this is correct. It is not – ‘coruscating’ means ‘brilliant’ or ‘dazzling’ as in a diamond. The word for ‘scathing’ which is wanted here is ‘excoriating’.
The i Paper, February 10, 2025
This is a new one for me. ‘Reverend’ is an honorific on the lines of ‘Mr’ or ‘Miss’, so this is like saying ‘A mister and Synod member’. What nonsense, and what ignorance. The possible terms that should have been used include ‘vicar’, ‘clergyman’ or ‘priest’.