Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

Updated--Would this punctuation bother you every time you drove by the sign?

ElizabethB

By ElizabethB,
in The Chat Board

 Share

  

215 members have voted

  1. 1. Would this sign bother you?

    • Yes, every time, who put that comma there and why?
      202
    • It might bug me occasionally.
      11
    • No, never.
      1
    • What comma problem? I like commas, the more the merrier.
      0
    • Other, of course, we must have an other.
      1

Recommended Posts

Leav97

Leav97

Posted
Posted

Especially at tattoo shop's! A neon sign that says: Tattoo's here! And another in the window: Awesome tattoo's by Ross!

 

Argh!! Make's me crazy. I point it out to the kid's every single time we drive by. They previously didn't care about the stupid sign's on the tattoo shop window's, but since I launch into grammar lesson's every time we pass the sign's... they sure care now! :lol:

 

 

Another that bugs are two competing tailor shops across the street from one another. One has a huge sign that says TAILOR. The other has a huge sign that says TAYLOR. :mellow:  :svengo:

 

How, just HOW, can people not know how to spell the thing that IS THEIR VOCATION!  It is their JOB to do this thing. It is what pays the bills!! How can you misspell something that important to your day-to-day life?? It mystifies me. And how the sign makers didn't catch those misspellings is beyond me. I purposefully take a different route and try to not pass these shops, because the temptation to go inside the TAYLOR shop and ask them if they are even aware that their sign is misspelled grows stronger with every drive-by.

 

Maybe the tailor is named Taylor?

 

:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PeachyDoodle

PeachyDoodle

Posted
Posted

It would make me twitch. Every time.

 

Then I would text a picture of it to my sister. We have a running joke about poor grammar/spelling in public. Also the use of Comic Sans, but that's another story.

 

It all started when there was a tanning place in town named "Tropical Body's." We used to speculate who Tropical Body was, especially when we saw someone who might fit the bill. ("Do you think that's HIM???") I personally pictured him as Larry the Lobster from Spongebob...

 

Sorry for the tangent. Down with the sign!

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest submarines

Guest submarines

Posted
Posted

I think it's supposed to read with a pause between the "making Gotham" and "happy." They are helping develop the city and making it a happier place at the same time? I think I'd prefer the same words without the comma but with the happy in a different color than the first two words, assuming that is their intent. (Now I'm looking at every comma and wondering if it belongs there. I'm a recovering comma-scatterer myself.)

I'd interpret it the same in my mind, to preserve my sanity. I wouldn't be too sure it was their intent, though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
purpleowl

purpleowl

Posted
Posted

I read "happy" as vocative; they are telling someone named happy that they are in the process of creating the city of Gotham.  I'd then be upset about the lack of capitalization, but happy might be like e. e. cummings.  I can convince myself of that. ;)

 

In other words, yes, I would be bothered every time I drove past it.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
bethben

bethben

Posted
Posted

My husband, in his temporary apartment waiting for us to move has a sign at the top of the hill.  It reads, "Slow dangerous hill".  The implication is that you should slow down because the hill is a bit steep and dangerous.  The way I read it is that the hill is a little slow, but could be dangerous - like a sloth if it whacked you with those scary nails at the end of his big hands.  Don't worry!  The hill is known as dangerous, but it's also a little slow in reaction time so you should be ok if you take it fast.  A comma would have been a nice addition in this case.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
8circles

8circles

Posted
Posted

I read it just like the period. after. every. Word. Phenomenon. To draw extra attention to the meaning.

 

Making Gotham {pause while the audience wonders, on the edge of their seat, what change is taking place to Gotham} happy :D

 

Gotham is being made happy by whatever company is advertising.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Laurel

Laurel

Posted
Posted

 

We have a stand nearby that sells Lobester. I mean, huh? People come here from all over the world for the state's most famous seafood, you can't go anywhere without seeing the word...why oh why the extra e?! How does no one FIX it?!

 

If it's the same place I know of - one side of the sign is spelled properly, and then it's spelled LOBESTER on the other side. It still bothers me when I see it, but I have resigned myself to the idea that it might be intentional, because the sign has definitely been updated/reprinted at some point, so you'd think it would have been fixed then.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Word Nerd

Word Nerd

Posted
Posted

I read it just like the period. after. every. Word. Phenomenon. To draw extra attention to the meaning.

 

Making Gotham {pause while the audience wonders, on the edge of their seat, what change is taking place to Gotham} happy :D

 

Gotham is being made happy by whatever company is advertising.

 

I doubt it. Gotham is being annoyed by the company's complete disregard for how to use a comma.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MEmama

MEmama

Posted
Posted

If it's the same place I know of - one side of the sign is spelled properly, and then it's spelled LOBESTER on the other side. It still bothers me when I see it, but I have resigned myself to the idea that it might be intentional, because the sign has definitely been updated/reprinted at some point, so you'd think it would have been fixed then.

I'll have to check out the other side next time I'm in the area. We might be close by! :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
VaKim

VaKim

Posted
Posted

My husband, in his temporary apartment waiting for us to move has a sign at the top of the hill.  It reads, "Slow dangerous hill".  The implication is that you should slow down because the hill is a bit steep and dangerous.  The way I read it is that the hill is a little slow, but could be dangerous - like a sloth if it whacked you with those scary nails at the end of his big hands.  Don't worry!  The hill is known as dangerous, but it's also a little slow in reaction time so you should be ok if you take it fast.  A comma would have been a nice addition in this case.

We have several signs around here that say, "Slow children." No comma. I can't resist commenting every time we pass one.  :laugh:

 

Edited to add a link to this blog post I came across this morning. I know nothing about the blogger, but the subject matter was interesting to me. However, there are so many punctuation errors, I couldn't even concentrate on the content.

 

http://www.simplifiedlife.net/a-simplified-life-is-not-always-a-homesteading-life-our-families-continuing-journey/

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ElizabethB

ElizabethB

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I am so disappointed. When I saw the update notice on the thread, I dared to hope that you and a local posse of grammarians had engaged in some midnight editing.

I do actually have two local homeschooling friends who were upset about the grammar. They both live on another side of town so had not seen the billboard. We are all too old and tired to do any midnight editing, but we are all raising children who will NOT make signs like this. All of their boys are older and they were all also upset about the grammar. I will use my limited energy to get my boy to the point where he will be the same way, no spare energy for midnight editing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
momacacia

momacacia

Posted
Posted

We had a "punctuation/grammar matters" moment in the car this morning after a stop at the bank where the kids got lollipops. In the car, 2yo asked "Mommy, what is this?" It was the lollipop type with a ball, not a flat, round lollipop.

 

I said, "The ball on top of the stick is the lollipop. You suck." Conveniently leaving out IT because I had uncaffenaited, tired brain and was talking to the 2yo who could surely understand that and of course it was said in Mommy voice. DH got a kick out of it. I didn't even notice until he said something. :-/

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jenny in Florida

Jenny in Florida

Posted
Posted

I know nothing about the blogger, but the subject matter was interesting to me. However, there are so many punctuation errors, I couldn't even concentrate on the content.

 

http://www.simplifiedlife.net/a-simplified-life-is-not-always-a-homesteading-life-our-families-continuing-journey/

Oh, goodness. Yes, that was too painful to read.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...