Example (as used by Clayton Makepeace today): “There are pretty much only two kinds of prospects in a marketer’s universe: (1) casual copy scanners, and (2) inveterate readers.”

Example (as used by Robert Ringer today): “To be sure, power is a panoptic objective for politicians and many religious leaders. But, to their dismay, it is the most unstable of all achievements.”

Example (as used by Dan Kennedy today): “On any given day, I go down to my cave at 7:00 a.m. and do not emerge until 6:00 p.m. When I do, my wife goes through a litany of everything she accomplished in that time.”

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “Effective managers don’t spend their time trying to make their employees happy. Why? Because it doesn’t work. Like most inward goals, it is nugatory and self-destructive — more likely to cause dissatisfaction than to motivate.”

Many people share my passion, judging by the popularity of Jay Leno’s “Headlines” segments, bloopers and outtakes on TV, and lists of errors, real or alleged, that circulate online. (”Dog for sale, eats anything, fond of children.”)

Even more appealing is when the boner is followed by a witty or snarky retort, in the style of The New Yorker.

I’m working on a book — a compilation of these gems. Here are a few samples:

• Correction: “Some jesters in a British competition described in a page-one article last Monday ride on unicycles. The article incorrectly said they ride on unicorns.”

The unicorns’ union is filing a protest about those lost jobs.

• Photo caption: “Karen Duplessis and her son, Patrick, are Patrick Henry’s ancestors.”

And they look so young, too.

• Headline: “Though Frail, Castro Denies He’s Dead”

But why should we believe him?

• Newscaster: “We’ll be talking to one of the producers of Law and Order SUV — excuse me, SVU.”

The cops are really cracking down on those gas guzzlers.

• Newspaper article: “An island surrounded by water, Manhattan has long been without a beach, prompting locals to flee by bridges and tunnels during the dog days.”

In an era of declining literacy, perhaps the laughter and ridicule that bloopers provoke are a hopeful sign that we still care about language. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you’ll start spotting them, too.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

Example (as used by Jason Holland today): “But often your customers, although ebullient about your product or service, aren’t able to express their enthusiasm very well in writing. So what do you do?”

Example (as used by Jason Holland today): “But you can’t just pick up the phone and try to badger people you’d like to work with to do a joint venture with you.”

Example (as used by Jason Holland today): “Stop trying to come up with rationalizations for not taking action. The truth is, now is always the best time to start a business.”

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “The next time I picked up the list, it was no longer so discombobulating. I realized that I knew all the ‘very important’ secrets quite well.”

Example (as used by John Wood today): “Most successful people are very friendly and will be happy to talk to you. (Provided you aren’t overbearing or bumptious.)”