Can you find 25 usage errors in the following story about a tug of war between the Prescriptivists and the Descriptivists?:

The battle began with a hoard of tweedy English professors on the P side and a large amount of dictionary editors in blue jeans on the D side. The P's wanted to prescribe what correct usage should be, thus staunching the rising tide of poor usage.

The D's, however, believed that principals of correct usage are continually changing and that the role of dictionaries is to describe English as it's used by the general populous.

At first, the P's seemed to be winning. Do to their intelligence, they organized themselves by academic department, and each group was suppose to pull extra hard for awhile.

The D's, who had to make due with their less-organized, ragtag ranks, felt badly because they were giving ground. Their metal was being tested as they were drawn closer and closer to the P's side.

Growing desperate, one D came up with a hairbrained scheme to start shouting "Revoke Tenure!" at the P's to anger and distract them. But this plan was met with a disapproving hew and cry from her teammates.

But, just as the P's seemed about to triumph, the D's devised a no-holes-barred plan. While still gripping the rope, they turned their backs to the D's, laid prostate on the grass, dug their toes into the ground and creeped forward on their knees and elbows.

Because this surprise maneuver was different than the usual tactics in a tug of war, it had a great affect on the P's, who felt that the D's were flaunting the rules.

So the P's, deciding to forego their plan of departmental coordination, simply dug in their heals. But this proved to be a gaff, for the descent of the D's to the ground had altered the angle of the rope. Now the P's at the front were practically laying flat and loosing control of their feet.

In a few moments, the D's had tugged the P's over to their side, and soon the winners were quaffing, appropriately enough, a liquid pick-me-up.

Errors:

1. horde 2. large number 3. stanching 4. principles of correct usage 5. general populace 6. Due to 7. was supposed to 8. for a while 9. make do 10. felt bad 11. mettle 12. harebrained 13. hue and cry 14. no-holds-barred 15. lay 16. prostrate 17. crept forward 18. different from 19. effect 20. flouting the rules 21. forgo 22. heels 23. gaffe 24. losing 25. lying flat

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254