"reek havoc"

[rockermom]

The apostrophe really bothers me, too! Especially when formally embroidered or printed on something, as in, "The Smith's." I always think to myself... I wonder *which* Smith?

 

Personal pet peeve: Rod Iron instead of WROUGHT iron. See it all the time on Craigslist.

 

All-time favorite: I saw a TON of misspellings in real estate listings when I was house hunting, but the absolute best:

 

Dinning room with Wayne's Coating.

 

Yes, "dinning." Yes, "Wayne's Coating." That Wayne sure gets around.

 

Did they happen to come with attacked garages?

 

On that note, have you ever been to a garge sale?

 

Fast food sign: "Breaskfast Sandwich"

[Lilymax]

My favorite and most commonly seen Craigslist blunder is "Chester Drawers" (chest of drawers) :lol:

 

I also saw an ad for a set of "Rod Iron Candle Laubers". It took me a minute to realize that it was a wrought iron candelabra.

 

But my favorite spoken blunder has to be what my loudmouthed, overbearing, know-it-all but quite dumb FIL said while droning on about his health one night. He told us all about his "hyena hernia" (hiatal hernia) . I don't know how I kept a straight face as he said it repeatedly. I kept biting my lip to keep from cracking up, but I wanted to ask if the doctor knew it was a hyena hernia from the laughter-like sounds it emitted. :lol:

[StaceyinLA]

a HUGE pet peeve of mine is right here on these boards, when someone posts that they have an item that they need to sale.

 

Honestly, it stuns me how many people say this.

 

I am also driven insane by the inappropriate apostrophe's (hehehe-just couldn't resist).

 

Finally, I am just totally disappointed with the lack of editing in so many media outlets. There are incorrect spellings on the news tickers, in the papers, on signs, etc. At our accountant's office, his sign reads, "tax returns prepard." It isn't like a letter fell off either because there is no space where a letter used to be!

[KidsHappen]

I am always amazed that it gets past the sign printer or maker... but if they are ignorant about it...

 

A sign maker is not a copy editor. They print it exactly as they are told. I used to work for a silk screen press sign maker. You never change the client's order, even if it is clearly wrong. Alert them that you believe there ia an error yes, but change the actual print yourself, no.

[Shadowwolf549]

We were driving around in the country the other day looking for property for sale. We saw the funniest sign! It was huge and obviously hand made, just sitting on the side of the road (it was about the size of the signs at gas stations that advertise the price of their gas!!) It said:

 

20 akers for sale

Call Bob at xxx-xxxx

 

I just had to laugh. It took DH a second to get it and then he was laughing too. I am embarrassed when I spell something wrong, but I would be really horrified to spell it wrong on a sign of that size!! :lol:

[Corraleno]

My all-time favorite spelling error was in a very expensive Annual Report done for a big name company in LA. A friend of mine, who worked for the printer, pointed out to the graphic designer that the front page of the report, which they were in the process of printing, had the word "Qualitity" in huge letters above the smiling face of the company president. :lol:

 

Jackie

[MamaBirdX7]

A couple years ago, on the PUBLIC school reader board in my hometown, "Spring Brake" was announced for such and such a date.

 

Spring Brake! And it stayed "Spring Brake" until the next announcement. No one fixed it.

 

The same week, our local editor wrote a newspaper column about, "Myself and my friends moved some furniture."

 

Go ahead and point out my errors, but lands, I neither have a college degree nor do I represent the all powerful public school system.

[Nicole M]

My all-time favorite spelling error was in a very expensive Annual Report done for a big name company in LA. A friend of mine, who worked for the printer, pointed out to the graphic designer that the front page of the report, which they were in the process of printing, had the word "Qualitity" in huge letters above the smiling face of the company president. :lol:

 

Jackie

 

Qualitity? Was the company president voLUMptuous, perhaps?

[radiobrain]

A sign maker is not a copy editor. They print it exactly as they are told. I used to work for a silk screen press sign maker. You never change the client's order, even if it is clearly wrong. Alert them that you believe there ia an error yes, but change the actual print yourself, no.

 

I know :D... but I meant that if the person in the sign shop (the LAST proofreader) doesn't know that it is wrong and doesn't point it out...

[Word Nerd]

A sign maker is not a copy editor. They print it exactly as they are told. I used to work for a silk screen press sign maker. You never change the client's order, even if it is clearly wrong. Alert them that you believe there ia an error yes, but change the actual print yourself, no.

 

Not always! When my husband's old company changed locations, they ordered a new sign. The sign maker added an apostrophe so it said XXXX Survey's and had to make a new one, as there was no error on the original request.

[Lilymax]

My oldest's ex-3rd grade teacher used to send home letters with misspellings ALL the time. (Spring BRAKE rung a bell...) :glare:

 

I tried posting a reply to this thread last night but it had to be moderated...I think because of a semi-naughty word I used to describe my FIL? Or maybe I'm not allowed to share links yet. Anyway...

 

My favorite Craigslist blooper is one I see often down here in the south: Chester Drawers (chest of drawers). :lol: One time there was an ad for a Rod Iron Candle Lauber. Highly confusing at first; then I saw the pic and realized it was a wrought iron candelabra.

 

And my pompous FIL, who loves to talk about his health problems...actually he never really stops talking...droned on and on one evening about his "hyena hernia". (Hiatal hernia) I wanted to ask if the doctor knew it was a hyena hernia by the laughter-like sound it emitted. :D

[Peek a Boo]

How about The Society for the Prevention of Early Feline Demise Through Apostrophe Misuse?

 

 

YES!!!! :lol:

 

perfect. :D

[Ibbygirl]

 

My favorite Craigslist blooper is one I see often down here in the south: Chester Drawers (chest of drawers). :lol: One time there was an ad for a Rod Iron Candle Lauber. Highly confusing at first; then I saw the pic and realized it was a wrought iron candelabra.

 

And my pompous FIL, who loves to talk about his health problems...actually he never really stops talking...droned on and on one evening about his "hyena hernia". (Hiatal hernia) I wanted to ask if the doctor knew it was a hyena hernia by the laughter-like sound it emitted. :D

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol: Those are hilarious! hehehe When my brother was small he used to arrest his G.I. Joe action figures by saying "you're under the rest. Now I'm going to take you to the vampire state building." hehehe He was only a toddler at the time though. :p

[ereks mom]

a HUGE pet peeve of mine is right here on these boards, when someone posts that they have an item that they need to sale.

 

 

 

Yes, I've seen a few posts that mention, "I need to sale these books", or "I have these books for sell".

 

I also take issue with people who talk about grammer books. ;)

 

I think my biggest apostrophe-related pet peeve is using it's for its.

[LibraryLover]

On our vacation, we visited about a dozen state or federal forests, parks, historical sites, etc. Every single one contained a spelling or grammatical error on a sign. It became a game to see who could find one first.

 

 

 

We've seen many Shed's For Sale on our travels. My youngest starting asking, "Who is Shed?" So now it's a family joke.

 

That said. I make simple errors frequently. I need an editor!

[Veritaserum]

Thank you for giving me something funny to read while I was waiting at the pharmacy. :lol:

 

My degree is in linguistics, so this kind of stuff is my cup of tea (er, not that tea ;)).

 

I submit "would of" instead of "would have" or "would've" as another irksome error. :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

Thank you for giving me something funny to read while I was waiting at the pharmacy. :lol:

 

My degree is in linguistics, so this kind of stuff is my cup of tea (er, not that tea ;)).

 

Really? My husband sometimes uses several huge words in a sentence just to see my eyes light up. :lol:

 

I submit "would of" instead of "would have" or "would've" as another irksome error. :tongue_smilie:

 

I agree. Also, people who say "libary" GAH!

[JustGin]

My dd and I saw this handwritten sign on the door of a local McDonalds play area, "Socks must be warned at all times." After we had a good belly laugh over it, I mentioned it to the counter person so that it could be corrected, but she was clueless and didn't seem to care. We still joke about what kind of warnings we should give our socks when they are in McDonalds. LOL

[angela in ohio]

Our local homeschool groups on Yahoo are a gold mine, too. There are plenty of questions about grammer books and cirriculum, as well as announcements galore with extra apostophes and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout. I can never decide if I should email them a correction privately for the sake of the children they are educating. :confused:

[SapphireStitch]

Careful! I remember an argument breaking out over this issue on another board. According to Merriam-Webster, "suit" is an alternative pronunciation.

 

Oh no! I didn't realize I was treading on toes.

 

I moved to NC from IL where we have towns spelled "Cairo" and pronounced "KAY-ro", "Athens" pronounced "AY-thens" and "Berlin" pronounced "BER-luhn".

I'm no stranger to the notion of regional pronunciation differences.

 

But, my real point was, that pronouncing "suite" as "suit" is what leads to "suit" being spelled "suite". Yes, I have seen ads offering "men's suites" for sale.

[MistyJ]

My BIL's engraved wedding invitation arrived this week. Really lovely. But one of the inserts reads, "A block of rooms have been reserved...."

[Mrs Mungo]

My BIL's engraved wedding invitation arrived this week. Really lovely. But one of the inserts reads, "A block of rooms have been reserved...."

 

When people say "why do you need to learn to diagram sentences?" This is why.

[Lovedtodeath]

When people say "why do you need to learn to diagram sentences?" This is why.

LOL! I need FLL 3.

[AngelaNYC]

Our local homeschool groups on Yahoo are a gold mine, too. There are plenty of questions about grammer books and cirriculum, as well as announcements galore with extra apostophes and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout. I can never decide if I should email them a correction privately for the sake of the children they are educating. :confused:

 

 

I cannot STAND it when I see "cirriculum" and "grammer". Then there's "sorry to be whinning about this" and "starting Kindergarden" and "I was born in the 1960's" and "she got 2 A's and 3 B's on her last report card".

 

My office sign outside reads: "Sale and Retention Center". :glare: I cringe whenever I pass it and only wish I could etch that "s" at the end of "Sale" into the metal.

 

I'm a total grammar snob and word nerd. I will whip out the pen and fix the spelling and apostrophe errors whenever I get the chance.

 

p.s. My friend's dd just got over an infection - she's taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if there's any underlining issues. :blink:

[swimmermom3]

I cannot STAND it when I see "cirriculum" and "grammer". Then there's "sorry to be whinning about this" and "starting Kindergarden" and "I was born in the 1960's" and "she got 2 A's and 3 B's on her last report card".

 

My office sign outside reads: "Sale and Retention Center". :glare: I cringe whenever I pass it and only wish I could etch that "s" at the end of "Sale" into the metal.

 

I'm a total grammar snob and word nerd. I will whip out the pen and fix the spelling and apostrophe errors whenever I get the chance.

 

p.s. My friend's dd just got over an infection - she's taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if there's any underlining issues. :blink:

 

Angela, your feelings are acceptable. However, please refrain from correcting National Park Service signs and other motorists' bumper stickers with your Sharpie.;)

[ElizabethB]

If the writer is clearly not a native English speaker, I think they're cute.

 

For example, today I ate at a Chinese restaurant with the following note:

 

Water free for ___ Chinese Restaurant Customer only. Water for none ___ Chinese restaurant customer $10c.

 

The $10c was especially cute, although I like "none-customer" too.

 

I'm thinking it was 10 cents, although many things are more expensive here in the LA area.

[swimmermom3]

If the writer is clearly not a native English speaker, I think they're cute.

 

For example, today I ate at a Chinese restaurant with the following note:

 

Water free for ___ Chinese Restaurant Customer only. Water for none ___ Chinese restaurant customer $10c.

 

The $10c was especially cute, although I like "none-customer" too.

 

I'm thinking it was 10 cents, although many things are more expensive here in the LA area.

 

Elizabeth, my dh and his siblings were raised in Japan and attended an international school. They delight in sending each other and their ex-pat friends "mangled sigh-nage".

[WishboneDawn]

My all-time favorite spelling error was in a very expensive Annual Report done for a big name company in LA. A friend of mine, who worked for the printer, pointed out to the graphic designer that the front page of the report, which they were in the process of printing, had the word "Qualitity" in huge letters above the smiling face of the company president. :lol:

 

Jackie

 

Qualitity - The contents of Pamela Anderson's shirt. :D

[WishboneDawn]

I think my biggest apostrophe-related pet peeve is using it's for its.

 

I somehow made it through 34 years of life thinking its needed an apostrophe. :blush:

 

Now I'll have to spend the next 34 undoing that and getting out of the habit of typing it's.

[Ibbygirl]

I somehow made it through 34 years of life thinking its needed an apostrophe. :blush:

 

Now I'll have to spend the next 34 undoing that and getting out of the habit of typing it's.

 

LOL and you're not alone either. I too struggle with the apostrophe thing. :)

[Laura Corin]

When people say "why do you need to learn to diagram sentences?" This is why.

 

A smidge of common sense works too.

 

Laura

[LibraryLover]

I somehow made it through 34 years of life thinking its needed an apostrophe. :blush:

 

Now I'll have to spend the next 34 undoing that and getting out of the habit of typing it's.

 

I agree! That's a tough nut to crack. Possessive pronoun, no, no, no. I always forget. lol

Edited August 20, 2009 by LibraryLover

[Lovedtodeath]

I cannot STAND it when I see "cirriculum" and "grammer". Then there's "sorry to be whinning about this" and "starting Kindergarden" and "I was born in the 1960's" and "she got 2 A's and 3 B's on her last report card".

 

My office sign outside reads: "Sale and Retention Center". :glare: I cringe whenever I pass it and only wish I could etch that "s" at the end of "Sale" into the metal.

 

I'm a total grammar snob and word nerd. I will whip out the pen and fix the spelling and apostrophe errors whenever I get the chance.

 

p.s. My friend's dd just got over an infection - she's taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if there's any underlining issues. :blink:

I looked it up and 1's 2's and 3's along with A's B's and C's are correctly pluralized with an apostrophe. (But I am sure that sentence has plenty of other errors.)

[AngelaNYC]

I looked it up and 1's 2's and 3's along with A's B's and C's are correctly pluralized with an apostrophe. (But I am sure that sentence has plenty of other errors.)

 

Technically it is incorrect. It's just so widely done that it has now become acceptable - like "curriculums" and "I could care less" and dangling prepositions.

 

:tongue_smilie:

[Ibbygirl]

Technically it is incorrect. It's just so widely done that it has now become acceptable - like "curriculums" and "I could care less" and dangling prepositions.

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

Oh my gosh! This last bit reminded me of that movie Oscar with Sylvester Stallone. He plays a mob boss who wants to go legit so he hires a language coach to help him "talk better". Tim Curry plays the language coach and there is a part where he tells one of the thugs, "Ah, ah, ah. You have a dangling participle." And the guy turns around and zips up his zipper! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Veritaserum]

Qualitity - The contents of Pamela Anderson's shirt. :D

 

Ha!

 

In my linguistics classes we had debates about how to define correct language usage. There are generally two camps:

 

 

1. There are set rules. Anyone who doesn't follow those rules is incorrect. (Prescriptive)

2. There are set rules but those rules can change based on how native speakers of that language use their language. By definition, a native speaker's use of their language is correct. (Descriptive)

 

[nrg]

We are chatting on the Well-Trained Mind "forums," not "fora." Is this the same as "curriculums" vs. "curricula?" I was taught to us "fora."

[Ibbygirl]

We are chatting on the Well-Trained Mind "forums," not "fora." Is this the same as "curriculums" vs. "curricula?" I was taught to us "fora."

 

 

:001_huh: I've never even heard "fora" before. I was proud of myself when I got "curricula"! :p

[Garga]

People in Baltimore have their own little accent. Instead of calling their baseball team the Orioles, they call them the Oreos. Always makes me crave chocolate to hear them talking about baseball.

[DarlaS]

Our local homeschool groups on Yahoo are a gold mine, too. There are plenty of questions about grammer books and cirriculum, as well as announcements galore with extra apostophes and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout. I can never decide if I should email them a correction privately for the sake of the children they are educating. :confused:

 

What about people who "pour" over catalogs? That one drive me nuts. I always want to ask them what they spilled. :D

[Word Nerd]

On one of my online loops, a member pointed out to the group that wallah is incorrect and that the word was actually viola. :lol: I didn't have the heart to correct her, but someone else did.

[AngelaNYC]

On one of my online loops, a member pointed out to the group that wallah is incorrect and that the word was actually viola. :lol: I didn't have the heart to correct her, but someone else did.

 

I so totally would have said something - just because she incorrectly pointed out some else's incorrectness. :sneaky2:

[caitlinsmom]

I once got slapped by my mom when I pointed out that "ignernt" wasn't a word but ignorant was.

 

Don't look at me so ignernt! She was gettin' all ignernt with me... These are things a good friend of mine says often and it takes all I have to keep my mouth shut.

Edited August 20, 2009 by caitlinsmom

[djsmom]

Judge Judy Episode

 

Plaintiff: I borrowed him the money!

 

Defendant: No, she didn't borrow me the money, it was a gift!

 

:lol:

[angela in ohio]

What about people who "pour" over catalogs? That one drive me nuts. I always want to ask them what they spilled. :D

 

How about if you loose something? If I see that someone is going to loose their mind one more time, I might just might loose mine. :D

[angela in ohio]

We are chatting on the Well-Trained Mind "forums," not "fora." Is this the same as "curriculums" vs. "curricula?" I was taught to us "fora."

 

It depends. When a word has been accepted into the English language, our conventions then apply, which is why curriculums is acceptable. I think that the word forum is a common enough word that it would go by the English rule to be made plural.

[angela in ohio]

Technically it is incorrect. It's just so widely done that it has now become acceptable

 

Exactly. So very sad... :glare:

[Ibbygirl]

Judge Judy Episode

 

Plaintiff: I borrowed him the money!

 

Defendant: No, she didn't borrow me the money, it was a gift!

 

:lol:

 

 

Were they Spanish speakers by any chance?? In Spanish the word is the same for "borrowing" and "lending".

[Nicole M]

It depends. When a word has been accepted into the English language, our conventions then apply, which is why curriculums is acceptable. I think that the word forum is a common enough word that it would go by the English rule to be made plural.

 

So wait. Conventions and accepting new words... does this mean that eventually wallah will be the correct spelling?!

 

:svengo:

[Nicole M]

What about people who "pour" over catalogs? That one drive me nuts. I always want to ask them what they spilled. :D

 

Now this one always gives me pause. Whenever I'm tempted to describe poring over something, I start typing "po" then stop. I know pour and poor are wrong, but pore has such pimply, sebaceous-glandy kind of connotations in my mind, I can't bring myself to even use the expression "pore over" in writing. (Though I can say it, I can't look at it.) So then I delete and re-frame the whole mess to avoid porousness altogether. How's that for anal?