Even the Government Can’t Write Proper English

What kind of a role model are they trying to be?

An excerpt from the Employee Standards Act

Opal, during her first year of employment, goes on pregnancy leave after working 3 months. She returns to work in her second year of employment. Opal is entitled to at least 2 weeks of vacation time accrued during the first year of employment. Annual vacation pay pursuant to s.58 in this case is calculated as 4% of 3-months gross wages and as such the vacation pay will be less than if she had worked the entire year. The leave of absence does not effect accrued vacation time however, as this example illustrates, vacation pay is reduced.

Now can you spot the problem? Here, I’ll highlight the affect it had on me.

That hint wasn’t enough?

How’s this then:

effect: noun
affect: verb.

Silly people who write for the government! Here’s the answer to this grammar and spelling quiz.

Opal, during her first year of employment, goes on pregnancy leave after working 3 months. She returns to work in her second year of employment. Opal is entitled to at least 2 weeks of vacation time accrued during the first year of employment. Annual vacation pay pursuant to s.58 in this case is calculated as 4% of 3-months gross wages and as such the vacation pay will be less than if she had worked the entire year. The leave of absence does not effect accrued vacation time however, as this example illustrates, vacation pay is reduced.

10 thoughts on “Even the Government Can’t Write Proper English”

  1. You’re starting to sound like me.

    Actually, that whole paragraph looks like it was written by a ninth-grader. Some people just dont know how to right write.

  2. For once you weren’t the primary audience for the post Dale. Just this once, I swear!

    Alisa’s brother works for the government as a writer.

    But thanks for reading! Now why do you think this sounds like you?

  3. You guys must be board or some thing. Hear I am at Chicago, just weighting to collect data (the facility is having problems) and you persons are complaneing a bout a silly misstake? It could just be a typo, although probably knot.

    Ok…I’m board two.

  4. Tee hee. Daaaaaaaarcy…

    Which reminds me that whenever I call Dave these days I intend to say “Daaaaaave” when he picks up. But he has call display and beats me to it: “Daaaaaale”. Damn!

    Kirk: the post sounds like me because you’re being anal about grammar. Like me.

  5. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaale…grammar isn’t the only thing your anal about. No offense. Ok, maybe just a little offense.

    Don’t you have the feature to block your caller ID, that is if it means so much to you.

  6. Oops! I wrote “your” when it should read “you’re” and I forgot a comma in the second sentence. Silly, silly me.

    Sorry, I’m bored again.

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