GrammarBlog: August 2008 - This is our old site. Find us at GrammarBlog.co.uk

Sunday, 31 August 2008

Goodnight lady's

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When I see children's clothing adorned with phrases from the world of adults, I always feel slightly sick. Especially when the spelling and grammar are bad.

But I'm in two minds about this one. Is it a patronising, faintly tasteless and semi-literate statement describing the young chap's future predilection for womanising? Or is the grammar entirely deliberate: a clever subversion of the chauvinist cliché, affirming the boy's love for his mother and hinting at a future of monogamy, maturity and commitment? Have I been reading The Guardian a bit too much recently?

Thanks to Melissa Jaeger-Miller, who sent us this gem.

Labels: apostrophe abuse, babywear, photos, punctuation

posted by Tom at 1:54 pm 7 Comments

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Monday, 11 August 2008

Organic food in a hurry

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"Expresso", originally uploaded by kyz.

This mistake is worryingly common and makes me chuckle every time I see it.

This is also one of those errors that I have to verbally correct when I hear spoken. I can often be seen in the queue at Starbucks obnoxiously hissing at some poor soul, "Esssssssspresso!".

I can't help it; it's a compulsion.

Labels: foreign language spelling errors, photos, signage, spelling

posted by Gez at 6:24 pm 3 Comments

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Wednesday, 6 August 2008

Think twice before "filling" your tank

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It's not just the astronomical oh-my-God-let's-get-hysterical-about-this-good-and-proper fuel prices that are vexing drivers on our petrol station forecourts at the moment. There is a far greater menace to be found in the form of these "unnecessary quotation marks" I discovered at a Texaco garage, just prior to emptying the contents of my wallet and handing over my car in order to meet the cost of this transaction.

Update: Some of those more skilled in identifying the lowest form of wit than I am have pointed out that I have been slightly hasty and, more crucially, incorrect in denouncing quotation mark use on this occasion. I hereby apologise to the petrol station employee who labelled the pump, even though they still sound like a right tosser.

posted by Paddy at 6:37 pm 8 Comments

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