Because nobody knows how to use the damn things anymore. I went into my credit union office to deposit a check today, and the first thing I saw was a sign. Someone had actually gone to the trouble to type this up on a computer, print out several copies, and post them all over the place so you couldn’t avoid looking at them. The sign read:
Please do not wait in line
for loan’s or new account’s.
Go to the first window
on the right.
The longer I have to stand in line at my credit union, the longer I have to look at it. The credit union probably tells its people they have to wear certain types of clothes and not wear other types of clothes, in order to project a professional image. My views on dress codes are fairly well known here, so it should surprise few to learn that I would rather see the employees in jeans and t-shirts, if they could only compose a simple sign without such glaring errors. That would project a professional image in my book. And before anyone accuses me of being a prescriptive grammarian, let me point out that misplaced apostrophes make a piece of writing confusing, jarring, and cognitively dissonant. When I see “account’s” or “loan’s”, I think to myself, “The account’s what?”
I don’t get it. I can’t see what’s so hard about using the apostrophe correctly. But, it appears, I represent a dwindling minority. Yet rather than rage blindly against the menace of apostrophe abuse, I offer a simple solution. Just don’t use them. If you don’t know where it goes, or if you need one, just leave it out entirely. The rest of us will still understand what you mean, and you will be right more often than not by just omitting them.
I am becoming increasingly dismayed at my own bad grammar and spelling (but I am working in improving it), but I will say one thing—I don’t think I’ve been guilty of the worst of the apostrophe abuse. And yes, it drives me absolutely BONKERS to see simple plural words with that fricking apostrophe in them.
And you’re right, I’d also much prefer to see people wearing jeans and t-shirts but get the damned apostrophes where they are supposed to be! (Or rather, NOT put the damned apostrophes in everything that ends with an “s”!)
ARGGGHHHH! (I even bought the “Apostrophe” t-shirt from angryflower.com. I feel quite strongly about this!)
What? Damn. I don’t just come here for laundry! I come here to feel like I am a part of something. I come here so that I can fit in. I come here so that I can feel at home. And you fucks, you’re not even gonna help me with ANY of my belonging? Fine. Fuck you. I’ll just do my laundry. Of course, once you realize that the owners are from Japan, it makes sense. This is just yet another example of Engrish making me laugh. . .
DaLovin Dj
(I left out the apostrophs in this post just for the OP)
I say It’s not a problem in my book. I just think it’s laziness on the persons part when they can’t figure out the proper place for apostrophes, commas or other such items. Do away with ALL of it! Who needs punctuation or proper usage anyway?
At the Shoopers Food Warehouse where I used to go they had a sign saying “Food Cost Too Much”. It used to drive me nuts and I would mention it to the cashiers and managers every time. I guess they then went and posted in some bulletin board about how anal some customers are.
Thank you!!! I hate the whole apostrophe issue. I just don’t understand what the hell is so difficult about it.
And on the homemade sign front, our building management is running a school supply drive. We have a sign in the front hallway on a box to collect the supplies. The sign on the box reads:
“Back To Scool!”
I tried to put an H in there with a black felt-tip pen, but it’s a laminated sign.
While we are on the subject, on my drive to work there is a religious sign. It reads “You have a expiration date”. It drives me up the wall. I swear some day I will tear that sign down.
According to this page you don’t need quotes. Wierd. It seems like I always use quotes in tags. Experiment:
Engrish - With quotes (and no http://) Engrish - Without quotes (and no http://) Engrish - With quotes as well as http:// Engrish - Without quotes but with the http://
Hmmm. They all work. It seems like the quotes aren’t necessary (all the keystrokes I could have saved!), but they shouldn’t break a link. The first of the above 4 links to Engrish was exactly the way I typed it in my first post. That coding SHOULD work. Bizarre. It looks like someone pissed off the punctuation marks with this thread. They are rioting! Striking! Chaos, I tell you! Chaos!
Keep in mind though, it’s the mistakes that others make with the apostrophe’s and “so called” quotations that allow us to have a smug sense of superiority.
-just trying to glean the positive.
There’s a sign in the local Wendy’s parking lot that makes me want to run for a big felt-tip marker.
“DO NOT BLOCK ISLE”
But it’s the “Cherry’s for sale” sign that has me going berserk lately.
There is a joke about fruit in there somewhere. I can’t stop imagining a dancing apricot fighting a cherry. My god, it’s only Monday and I’m having bizarre fruit day dreams. . .
