I hardly read mainstream newspapers these days. Every paper has their own agenda backed by whichever political party owns it. But I sometimes do skim the online news sites to see what’s the latest. And today, the very first piece of headline and piece of news I see set my blood to boil not for the news it contained (that’s stupid too IMO) but for the poor English grammar in what is an English newspaper.
Here is the online extract edited by me.
Error #1 – “Police Report Not Needed for LOSS of documents” or “Police Report Not Needed for Lost Documents” The reporter and editor can’t seem to make up his/her mind so they went for a mish mash of both.
Error #2 – “KUALA LUMPUR: The public no longer need to make a police report for lost or damage birth, marriage, academic and vehicle registration certificates, a Malaysian passport, a driving licence and a land grant.” should read “DAMAGED”
Error #3 – “The requirement not only inconvenient the public..” Even if the man did say it as quoted, I don’t think he would complain if the editor amended it to read “The requirement not only inconveniences the public…” It makes him look more intellegent and less like an idiot.
Error #4 – “ This requirement also resulted in rising cost in police operations and does not add value to the police service delivery,” Messed up tenses. Decide if you want to use present or past tense and not just mix them up willy nilly. The man may have a poor command of English but as an English newspaper I think you owe the public the use of proper grammar.
Error #5 – “Mohd Sidek asked all government agencies to identify matters that need the public to submit” Tenses again. Asked = Needed.
Reading this article was like driving along the roads of KL – bumpy and full of potholes that jar the smooth reading of the article.
This was just one piece of news. I didn’t even bother to read the rest. Back in the day, we built our language skills by reading newspapers – whether English or BM. These days, I think some (not all) bloggers who own alternative news sites write better. Is it any wonder people would rather read the alternative news? They at least make sense.
The English newspapers owe the public a duty to ensure they maintain a high standard of English. There is no use lamenting the decline of the English language among the young if the papers can’t even get it right in the first place. If the standard of English in the press is anything to go by, I would suggest the press clean up their act first, then turn to the education system, so the young have something to learn from.
