Participles, Including “What the Heck?”
Consider the following copy from an attorney’s bio:
Ms. Abkin represents clients in civil and criminal tax matters at all levels of the IRS, including exams, appeals, collection, and, where necessary, litigation.
Literally, the writer is telling the reader that exams and appeals are different levels of the IRS.
In this instance, it’s easy enough to see what the writer meant; it’s even easier to see that the writer did not run this by an editor before it was published.
The result? A common error, and a subtle warning from the firm to all potential clients: “We don’t review our work!”
