i hope their business cards say this

I'm not sure what verb they think they're using here (to patrionate?), but good on them for not letting the pesky problem of trying to find a real word stop them from thanking their customers.

need some brida things?

I spotted this while stumbling home this evening. I'm still laughing, but then again, I'm drunk (as you can probably tell from the quality photography). Perhaps the person who wrote this was also drunk. I don't know how else to explain the missing "l."

I may think this post is really lame when I'm hungover tomorrow morning. Oh well.

RainyBow

i'm not sure my dorsal would enjoy "stamping"

I was thinking on my walk home tonight that I could really use a massage, when I stumbled on this sign.


You can tell me all you want that it will relieve fatigue, but I'm not sure I'd want someone to "push the oil" or "stamp on the dorsal." Just sayin.'

RainyBow

now we're dropping full syllables?

In a meeting today, a colleague said, "Given that this is a top priority, I'll prolly be able to push it through."

Prolly?! Of course, I've heard "probly" spoken in the past, but never "prolly."

This is either due to laziness or a lack of pride in the language. Or maybe both. It's definitely not a case of the language evolving to meet modern realities, like the recent reigning in of hyphenation.

Whenever I rant about misuses such as this, someone inevitably comments that more people speak English as a second/ third/ fourth language than any other language in the world, which is supposed to explain some of the bastardization. But in my experience, those who learn later, who learn the language not just because it's there but because they've chosen to, are the ones who actually take pride in it and speak more correctly.

I vote we get ourselves some language police. Did you know the French refer to the members of their Académie française as "the immortals?" Yup, that more than a bit weird, but at least it's a sign of how much they value their language... prolly.

RainyBow

care for a smothie?

This place moved in down the street from me in the storefront-where-nobody-can-sustain-a-business. Well, apparently the new owners are as bad at spelling as they were at researching the property.


I wonder if this new spelling with only one O indicates that it's only half as smooth as a smoothie?

RainyBow

i'm convinced no one can write any more

Im convinced noone can right anymore.

This is what I read in a flyer this weekend:

• Drying time equals wash time added convenience
• The steam team pair's 6-point suspension system offers performance and reassurance that your laundry can be installed anywhere!
• PLUS! GIFT WITH PURCHASE! Get a deluxe bed frame FREE! with the purchase of any mattress set!

No, I don't understand what the first two mean, but I feel relieved that the exclamation point is alive and well.

SunnyShine

here's one for fellow grammarian

Check out this shining specimen of signage, from a parking lot I frequented this weekend.

There is no other way I can explain the superfluous question mark on the second bullet other than: Definitely take your ticket with you, and maybe pay before returning to your car. Or maybe not.

Or do you think maybe the sign maker was trying to be polite by adding the question mark?

RainyBow

now it's hitting a bit too close to home

This one was posted on the wall just down the hall from me at the office.

Please, for my sake: the plural of "office" is never "office's." Ever.

RainyBow

survelince cameras? you don't need to tell me to smile

Spotted this afternoon on a little road trip Sunny & I took. Granted, "surveillance" may be a bit hard to spell, but they're quite a bit off here.


RainyBow

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SunnyShine note: The only positive thing I have to say about this is that at least it is done with marker on cardboard and has the potential to be corrected. I'm not holding out hope that it will be corrected, but the possibility remains.

maybe it's easier with only one p

Why use spellcheck when you're designing your store's sign?


RainyBow

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SunnyShine note: It doesn't look like there's enough room for the other p. They could have gone in another direction and put 'easy shoppin'. It must be a style choice.

this fustrates me

It drives me up the wall when people say 'fustrate' instead of 'fRustrate'. There's an r in there dammit.

Inhale. Exhale. Zen.

SunnyShine

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RainyBow note: And how about FebRuary? There's a stupid R in there too.

I hate The Killers for their song about "Somebody Told Me" where they continually say "Febuary." When pop culture icons massacre a word it tends to catch on. Crappy Killers.

thanks for the tip

Every week in my company, a computer "tip of the week" is sent out to all employees. These tips are touted as time savers to make the employees more efficent. Sounds good, right?

Well, the language of business in my company is English, but the language of the person who wrote this recent tip is definitely not English. Have a read of the excerpt below, and note that I didn't change a thing. If anyone can prove he or she actually learned something--anything--about NetMeeting from this tip, I'll send out a prize. I don't know what that prize will be, but then I'm quite certain I'll never have to hit the post office....

One of the most recurring issues is concerning the Directory server, and this is usually due of a missing address. It can be fixed by adding the Directory address for Netmeeting.

In some cases, the User will not be able to change him self settings because the Options will be grayed out. This can be fixed by connecting as an administrator and to follow the previous steps.

Another issue coming out usually is the Directory isn’t opening*, but a window on the task bar seems to reflect that the Directory is open, but it’s not opening it self.

*This little incident was created by closing the Netmeeting with the Directory in minimized size.

Another issue can come, the User is not able to share his desktop to get some remote help with whatever technical support. What you will have to do is to activate the Remote Desktop Sharing in Options menu of the application, but to activate that you need administrative rights on the computer.

In some cases, you will receive a message telling you that you have a service of Netmeeting running already in background, just click on the Ok button and this will force the installation of the asked service.

Another issue is beginning to show up, the Netmeeting Directory is long to open. The fix for this type of incident is to modify some Windows Registry Keys, but you have to be administrator of the computer to do those modifications.

Be careful also to select the proper version of the application in function of the Operating System in the computer.

RainyBow

c-o-n-t-r-a-c-t-i-o-n

Sorry for the quality of this picture but I was going through the car wash at the time. I just know that some day 'your' will be entered alongside 'you're' in the dictionary since everyone uses it incorrectly now. sigh.





SunnyShine

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RainyBow note: When I was a kid, there was a sign up for years on our route home from the family cottage that made me insane. The image was of a police officer and the speech bubble beside him said "Drink, that's fine. Drink and drive, your mine." Argh. There's a missing word in here, which requires an apostrophe, people! When I was eight I knew enough to be angry about the misspelling, and yet apparently nobody in the local police force did. Psychiatrists everyone are thankful for my sake that the sign has since be replaced by something more innocuous.

perhaps someone is saying this size out loud?

I can't think of any other explanation why 4x6 would need to be in quotation marks here. Quotation marks are meant to indicate a direct quote from a person, not emphasis. Go with bold and/ or italics, people!



Spotted at a camera store near my house on the way home from a movie (yes, another one - are you sensing a pattern?) in the pouring rain. Of course, the rain didn't stop me from pausing to take this photo. I wish the reflection of my wet rat self were clearer....


RainyBow

only one gift but lots of gems with extra Ls

Spotted near my home. I love that there isn't just the plural/ singular issue, but also that curious overabundance of Ls. This place has four gigantic signs with the same spelling error--and maybe more inside (I can't bear to go in!). Thousands of dollars were clearly spent on signage with no proofreading. But, hey, it's "international." Fantastic.


RainyBow

this up-do's bitchin'

... that's really the only sentence in which the use of the word below is acceptable.



Although, now that I think about it, that sentence should probably read "This up-do's mildy stylin'"....

OK, world, please stop using the apostrophe to indicate a word is plural. Really. If this rule is a surprise to you, please see my friendly letter to Ponyknit.


RainyBow

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SunnyShine note: This up-do's a sign that the world supply of hair spray has been depleted. It appears we may be out of botox as well.

_____________________
RainyBow note: True. And I never got to experience one of the rights of passage in teenagehood: graffiti and general defacement of public property (did lots of other bad stuff, but somehow that never appealed). Anyone want to pick up some spraypaint with me and change that sign to UP-DON'T?

newsflash: the word you're questioning is something you're not...

colleague (in mid rant about a sales person who works in our company): ... and then he said, "Do you consider yourself a learned person?" Whatever. I mean, I don't even think that guy uses real words. Learn-ED? That sounds like a stupid, made-up word to me.

me: Oh, OK.


RainyBow


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SunnyShine note: Why, oh why do I always miss these fun times??

glaring grammatical error’s in important thing’s

I travel a lot and find that in many of the places I visit, people who learn English as their second, third or fourth language often speak it better than native English speakers. When in Denmark, I was actually corrected by a Norwegian on the incorrect use of the word “less” (in the place of “fewer”). I hear the mistake so frequently that it has become normal to my ears and I now make the same mistake myself. It’s embarrassing, really, that native English speakers don’t take pride in their language the way that many others do (e.g. the French).

I understand that mistakes are sometimes made purely because of haste. However, I see glaring errors in important documents such as resumes. Don’t you think that if you’re applying for a job, you should have someone proofread the one document you’re submitting to strangers in order to be considered? Other horrible examples are street signs, restaurant and store names, and blog titles—not posts, actual blog names. And so, today, I have to write my sad note to Ponyknit.

Dear Ponyknit,

You’re a molecular biologist, an avid knitter, and a horseback riding instructor. You sound like a pretty cool person. I think it’s hilarious that you’ve made felted clogs, I feel your pain on your break up with the boyfriend and I’ve tried all your quizzes (and discovered that if I were knitting needles, I’d be turbo charged, if I were a flower I’d be a snapdragon, and if I were a finger, I’d be the pinky). I love that you blog about this stuff. And, really, you’re a contributor to the Christmas around the world knitters swap blog, which sort of defies description.

But it really makes me sad that you’ve headlined your blog “If Pony’s could knit.” I would have thought that someone as interesting as you, who even rides horses, would know that the plural of “pony” is “ponies”—or at least, that one of your blog visitors would have politely pointed that out by now.

I don’t want to belabour the point, but so you know for next time, nouns are never made plural with the inclusion of an apostrophe. Apostrophes are only used for one of two things: to mark that a word has been abbreviated or to indicate possession, in that order. (I say “in that order” because in the case of “it’s,” the apostrophe indicates abbreviation and “its” is for possession. But I don’t want to mess you up with that just yet.) So go make some more clog's clogs, indulge in retail therapy to rid yourself of the ex boyfriends boyfriend’s bad aura, and keep sharing those quizz’s quizzes!


RainyBow

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SunnyShine note: I cannot even look at the subject line of this post without feeling anxiety. Rampant apostrophe misuse drives me crazy. Speling errers do as well. I took a look at her blog and had to avert my eyes for the most part. I do, however, feel badly about her breakup and that the boyfriend took the dog. Sad. I am also concerned about this: 'I had picked up a Kenny Chesney Flip Flop Summer Tour key chain'. Ahh, she makes it too easy. I would pay money to see a pic of this key chain. The description makes me howl and I want one for myself. lmao.