Check out the Dad Blog Carnival at Discovering Dad, where yours truly is featured for my Joy of caprice post of a few weeks ago.
This is another link-based post today, as one of my plans for quickie weekend posts. I think after reading this one, you'll totally agree that I don't need to say too much more than it's about dang time:
Taxi driver banned from driving... because he can't use apostrophes
Like you, certainly, I've unwillingly tolerated people and their flagrant abuse of grammar for way too long.
But Dan, you may say, what does apostrophe use have to do with driving a cab?
But naive fool, I might say, what does it have to do with anything else in life?
And the answer is: everything. Because I said so.
And someday soon, I hope to find this headline:
80% of America permanently deprived of liberty... for not knowing the correct use of "it's"
I think "its"* only fair. How else will they learn?
* I actually shuddered when typing this-- I couldn't be as dry as I usually would and just leave it without quotes. Because I just can't.
8 comments:
I'm horrible at grammar, as in, not quite sure where this comma should go or that semi-colon. I do, however, know how to use "it's" correctly! :)
Literal Dan, a man after my own heart. I'm a grammar snob, I admit, but poor spelling is my biggest pet peeve.
Across the street from my daughter's preschool, there was a professionally made sign that read:
- Comming soon - Smothies and Gourmey Coffee.
I don't even know the name of the place. It will always be Smothies to me!
dAN/
: i AM THe master. Of GRAMMaR:
Use of ; all the time....
I'm not always correct in my grammar, but at least I try or I look it up, seems like some people don't even try.
Actually I am the inventor of all adjectives that describe anything gross.
Shelle: You just won a spot on my Good list.
Andrea @ Sweet Life: Poor spelling with no excuse bothers me a lot-- simple words, native speaker, professional signage or documents, etc. If English is your second language, I forgive you. If it's a complicated, rarely used word, I forgive you. If you are unable to consult a dictionary or someone who'd know before printing off a thousand copies of your flyer or magazine ad or something, I will never forgive you.
That sign is all-time hilarious, and I love adopting mispronunciations based on misspellings-- it really satisfies the evil in me.
insane mama: I give you credit, along with anyone else, including myself, who knows his/her limits and acts to compensate for them.
Inventing adjectives has always been an informal hobby of mine-- glad to meet a fellow practitioner.
I should either be eternally grateful to my 7th grade teacher and my parents for my attention to grammar and spelling or I should curse them because I cannot ignore those errors and I am helpless to correct most of them and it bothers me every time.
You should thank them! Definitely thank them. They made you one of us, and not one of the people who are (shudder) good at other things instead (shudder again).
Are you old enough to remember when "attitude" was predicated with positive or negative? No one ever sported a tude when I was a kid.
The idiot who coined the phrase, "my bad" needs a my bad ass kicking.
Don't even get me started on the comma comma comma chameleon.
Can you tell I went to a Catholic grade school? You can bet your Sister Mary's Catholic Girls Guide to Sex Book on that one!
When I was growing up (80s/90s), the default meaning of "attitude" was negative, for sure.
There's lots of irritating slang, but then, that's how the language has always evolved. Whaddya gonna do?
I am your Comma-rade In Arms, my friend.
You might like the book Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog, given your background and attention to grammar-- I got it as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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