Williams Summary

An error is a mistake of the syntax, mechanics, and conventions of writing that writers make. That is how many people define what error is. In Williams's essay, he compares an error of usage and a social error. A social error is an invasion of personal space that would require an apology or an excuse. An error of usage is the violation of the rules of writing. He makes those comparisons because he is confused about the similar reactions of an error of usage and a social error. He notes that there are some people who see error of usage as "atrocious" or "horrendous." However, an error of usage does not require an apology despite being "atrocious." Ironically, though, he also marks that the same people, such as William Zinnser, makes some errors of usage himself. He continues to list people who addressed the rules of grammar and syntax, but violated these same rules themselves. He does not condemn them for it, though. He is merely interested at how many readers do not realize these errors themselves and that teachers continue to use these handbooks of grammar usage without ever questioning it. He concludes that errors are spotted much more easily when people look for them and that when a reader reads freely for the sake of reading rather than editing, there are less errors found. He then makes a chart between the interaction of the reader and the text. The chart is composed of four categories: a violation is made and the reader notices it, a violation is made and the reader doesn't notice it, a violation isn't made and the reader doesn't notice it, and a violation that isn't made and the reader assumes it is a violation. He then does the same way with if the sentence is favorable or not favorable. At the end, from using these charts, he argues that we should judge error based on if other people sees it as error and if other people notices it. He then invites us to make a list of errors within his own essay. Examples of his errors could include the phrases, "most obviousest" or "we not have." However, the reader would have probably only noticed about ten or fifteen errors at most if they do not go back to purposefully search for them. He proves his point by stating that there are actually more than 100 errors in his essay.