# One Thread for Typos on All Columns

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-thread-for-typos-on-all-columns/248356>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 3, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-thread-for-typos-on-all-columns/248356 "2004-06-03T00:08:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TSDaddict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@TSDaddict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSDaddict)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-thread-for-typos-on-all-columns/248356/1 "2004-06-03T00:08:19Z")

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I’m referring to column called:  
What do artsy film critics mean by “mise-en-scene”?  
from August 20, 1980  
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_372a.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_372a.html)

I thought it might be useful to start a thread to point out all typos, thus promoting their correction. I couldn’t find a thread that already did that, so here goes:

Quoting the final paragraph:

“Mise-en-scene, according to some theorists, is the principle vehicle…”

This is another example of the shortcomings of spell checkers. All the words are correctly spelled, but by the context, one can deduce Cecil meant to say “principal”, not “principle”. :smack:

I must add that I assume this was the inexcusable blunder of one of his minions re-typing his original column into digital format. Or perhaps, it was the typesetter. I could hardly expect someone of his intellectual prowess to commit such a vulgar mistake, could you?

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**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-thread-for-typos-on-all-columns/248356/2 "2004-06-03T18:21:13Z")

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> [@TSDaddict](#):
>
> I’m referring to column called:  
> This is another example of the shortcomings of spell checkers. All the words are correctly spelled, but by the context, one can deduce Cecil meant to say “principal”, not “principle”. :smack:

One thing to remember is “principle” is only used as a noun. “Principal” can be either a noun or adjective.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-thread-for-typos-on-all-columns/248356/3 "2004-06-03T20:49:18Z")

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> [@TSDaddict](#):
>
> I thought it might be useful to start a thread to point out all typos, thus promoting their correction.

In that case, there’s a glitch in the online version of this _Straight Dope_ classic:

[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_043.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_043.html)

The text says “[her italics]” after quoting a sentence from a book, but the quoted sentence contains no italics.