Having worked as an editor and sub-editor, I have taken part in many conversations about the under-use of semicolons, the over-use of exclamation marks and what letters need to be in capitals. I have always loved these discussions, and it is surprising how heated they become. However, analysing the correct use of English appears to be just an indulgence these days. After all, who cares? Who notices the odd typo and inconsistency apart from other pedants like me?   Working in the online space, it could be argued there is no longer any point in spending ages editing copy. The way that online editorial is scanned, no one appreciates well-subbed text anyway. As more publications get rid of sub-editors, and more copy is produced online, copy that has been proofed to perfection is no longer required.   While I feel sad that writing standards are slipping, and there is no doubt that they are, I appreciate this is inevitable. And it is more than made up for by the fact that our digital world provides us with so much information so quickly, and from so many new authors. A lot of it might be rubbish, but it’s easy to ignore if you don’t like it. Plus there’s always reliable online sources such as PRmoment where you can be confident that feature quality is high (there’s no praise like self praise).   And if you have spotted any typos in this blog, please be assured they were placed there deliberately to test your observation skills.