I began to tick with a pencil the occasional solecism that I spotted in last Sunday's Sunday Tribune.

Una Mullally: "Unlike other cities, Dublin's drug culture [sic] doesn't rely on anonymous deals..."

(Dublin's drug culture is not a city, Una.)

Ali Bracken: "Widescale [no such word, really] abuse of cocaine in Ireland remains [remains?] a problem and the death of Gerry Ryan should serve as 'yet another wake-up call' [sic] about the potential dangers of the drug." Anyway.

Next up, Seán Cottrell (Irish Primary Principals' Network), with a letter which is essentially an extended question, and which begins with the word "If", ends without a question mark, is tortured with verb and subject disagreement, main and subordinate clause incompatibility, and a conclusion that is self-contradictory.

I'm sorry about this, but I went to St Mary's CBGS in Belfast.

Kevin Shannon

Béal Feirste