A Virginia newspaper wrote a scathing critique of Terry McAuliffe's poor grasp on grammar in his recent education reform op-ed.
McAullife's editorial in the Loudoun Times addressed the commonwealth's need for a change in standardized testing. However, his editor failed to spot several flaws in his syntax. The Richmond Times Dispatch wrote:
For instance, he writes: "If a school district wants to break up the tests or administer tests differently to children with different learning styles, they should have the flexibility to do so." They? A school district is a singular, not a plural, noun.
The Dispatch contributor also spotted a common word use error McAuliffe committed:
McAuliffe writes that he has proposed a Blue Ribbon commission "comprised of" various parties. "Comprise" means "include" or "contain." A commission either comprises various parties, or is composed of them.
