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Frank Skinner dad at 55

doradora
edited May 2012 in - Writing Problems
[EDITED BY WEBBO= title changed from "dead at 55" to "dad at 55", hence Dora's comments]

He isn't really, I misread it.

He's a DAD at 55.

Do you often misread things, think you see something that isn't there (or is it) lol?

Comments

  • heatherheather
    Blimey, dora, that gave me a shock!
  • NefertariNefertari
    Gave me a shock too as I read he was a dad yesterday and thought oh no! when i saw this...goes to get a strong coffee to recover
  • JohnWho63JohnWho63
    That gave me a shock too. I was watching him on Room 101 last night. This also highlights something that happens quite often on facebook as well, where someone misreads something, or something gets published by a dodgy news website scrabbling to be first with the latest. More than once, friends have posted or reposted about the "death" of a celebrity, only to find later that it was a hoax and that the said celebrity is absolutely fine. The downside of course is that it then takes ages to put right, because on a massive thing like facebook, things like that just snowball.
  • MutleyMutley
    Dora! That's all I'm going to say, just - Dora! :)
  • Mrs BearMrs Bear
    Good grief, Dora!
  • RosalieRosalie
    Also - this is a public thread, so your thread title may well get picked up on Google, Dora! :)
  • LizLiz
    Dora - that is mean, I felt quite ill.
  • NefertariNefertari
    I've only just recovered.
  • CarolCarol
    Having seen the reports of him becoming a Dad, I automatically assumed you'd put the wrong letters in...:)
  • WebboWebbo
    Sorry if it seems a little humourless but my first reaction on seeing this was rather similar to a few others here... and heaven forbid WE should be the ones to start one of those web rumours!
  • doradora
    Look I am sorry if I've upset anyone that wasn't my intention.

    I just wanted to point out how easy it is to misread things.

    The headline I read was "Frank Skinner dad at 55" and even now when I read it, I still read it as dead first, then dad.

    I really am sorry if you're all having palpitations or owt similar.



    [quote=Rosalie]Also - this is a public thread, so your thread title may well get picked up on Google, Dora![/quote]

    I know it's a public thread but then the headline I read was public and made me look twice. I think I'm actually suffering from whiplash where I turned so violently to look again at what I'd read.

    Maybe now someone may answer my question about whether or not they misread things?
  • CarolCarol
    Certainly do, and usually it's just the one word that completely changes the whole meaning.
  • WebboWebbo
    Nobody's having palpitations Dora. I realised changing the thread title undermined your opening comment but concluded the conversation could still roll on anyway once people click in and see the content, without causing any fuss on the way in. That's why I added my note about editing to your opening comment, so it didn't make your comments lose their sense.
  • Mrs BearMrs Bear
    I misread things all the time, with and without my specs. So did Nelson, and changed history. I wonder what would happen if we actually followed the line of thought of all that we misread, instead of making the adjustment? Is there a parallel universe of Misread Journeys?
  • PhilipPhilip
    [quote=dora]The headline I read was "Frank Skinner dad at 55" and even now when I read it, I still read it as dead first, then dad.[/quote]
    I keep reading it exactly the same, and I saw it after webbo edited it.
    I'm always misreading things, whenever I see a van or sign with shopfitters on it, I think it says shoplifters.
  • doradora
    :)

    Phew. It's not just me then.
  • WebboWebbo
    Although I too do this (including 'shoplifters' thanks Philip!), what always gets me are newspaper flysheets. They know that punctuation readers you down so try to avoid it, but dodgy syntax slows you down even more. I can never understand them first time.
    Things like:
    Council bins plan rejected (bad, made-up example, but I hope you know what I mean... What are our council bins planning?!)
  • LizyLizy
    [quote=Webbo]They know that punctuation readers you down so try to avoid it[/quote]

    Que?
  • doradora
    [quote=Webbo] What are our council bins planning?!)[/quote]

    :)

    Well, whatever it is, it'll be rubbish.
  • PhilipPhilip
    [quote=dora]Well, whatever it is, it'll be rubbish.[/quote]
    Yeah, they should skip it.
  • CarolCarol
    And writers probably notice, and therefore misread, the poorly or missing punctuated newspaper headlines.
  • JohnWho63JohnWho63
    I'm reminded that as well as misreading things, we can sometimes mishear something that's said to us. An old and often quoted example being the Platoon Commander in the first world war trenches, who passes the message along the trench, "Send reinforcements, we're going to advance!" By the time the message had gone along the line of soldiers half deafened by shellfire, it had become, "Send three and fourpence, we're going to a dance!"
  • doradora
    :)
  • WebboWebbo
    [quote=Webbo]punctuation readers you down[/quote]
    Oh the joys of misreading a sentence you've just written. "punctuation slows you down" "punctuation slows readers down". Must. Try. Harder.
  • doradora
    "pushes up shirt sleeves, huffs on cold palms in preparation for smacking the back of Webbo's hand for such naughtiness"
  • WebboWebbo
    dora, only a hand? I'm surprised at you.
  • LizLiz
    *shocked-open-wide-eyed-ness-at-webbo's-rather-forward-invitation-to-dora*
  • doradora
    YOU'RE surprised at ME, Webbo?

    Since you revealed all to us on the "trouble at t'mill" thread I have nooooo oooooh noooo intention of going there again what-so-heather.

    Plus, this is a public thread and a soiten decorum in one's behavyer is required methinks.

    "snorts and waddles off"
  • tunertaylortunertaylor
    [quote=dora]Well, whatever it is, it'll be rubbish.[/quote]

    I 'REFUSE' to believe it... Think about it people.
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