Get the lead out

Why am I surprised by anything anymore? I spotted a very silly error in Scott Turow's op-ed column in today's New York Times. Turow writes:

The measure was never ratified by the Legislature, while her offer of $1,000 lead directly to her conviction for bribery in the Illinois courts.

The past tense of "lead" is "led." It's not an error that spell-check will catch, so you have to actually proofread your work. "What's proofreading?" you ask? It's a long-forgotten skill that, if practiced correctly, might save you from embarrassment.