As you can see, the yearbook editor thought the play was about a girl named Anne and her milking cows. Simple proofreading could have averted such a monstrous gaffe.
Always proofread your work, I tell our children. Read your work outloud. Read it twice. Read it carefully. Get up from your desk, eat some graham crackers, walk around the table a few times, then read it again. Does it make sense? Does it sound good? Does every sentence have a period? Punctuation is your friend! Words are powerful. Every word reveals what you believe and is a mirror into your soul.
Recently at work I sent an EMail to a client. The message was about test results:
"Based on your urine test results, there is now evidence of gonorrhea. This is great news!"
The recipient wrote back promptly. He did not share my enthusiasm that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease. I reread my EMail. A single misplayed note in a piano chord entirely changes the pianist's intent. Major becomes minor. How did that "w" in the word now sneak in? (I had meant to say "there is no evidence of gonorrhea"). Gosh darned, maverick "w"! Lesson learned...
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