The Independent runs a regular Saturday 'Errors & Omissions' feature, in which Guy Keleny apologises for mainly linguistic gaffes in the paper. Today's offering begins with this:

Just as we have an identified first-aider on each floor of the building, so the company should be responsible for finding those members of staff with a reasonable working knowledge of Latin and issuing each of them with a badge, to remind everyone to consult them whenever a Latin word is applied in copy. Then the number of Latin disasters in this paper might be slightly less shocking than it is.

The latest came on Wednesday, when an interviewer wrote of the actress Stockard Channing: "The Harvard alumni takes her profession seriously."

"Alumni" is wrong as to both number and gender. The masculine noun alumnus, meaning foster-son or pupil, has the plural alumni. But there is only one of Ms Channing and she is a female, so the feminine singular form alumna would be appropriate.

Thank you, Mr Keleny.