Alert the Grammar Police
As artless as the directions and legalese on gas pumps usually are, the language is usually grammatically correct. Not so at this truck stop somewhere in Lancaster County where we stopped Friday night:
I count two typos and a missing apostrophe. Everybody makes mistakes, and I don’t hold gas-station owners to a high standard. If this were a hand-lettered sign, I wouldn't even have mentioned it, but I assume this was created by “Corporate.” They should know better.
This reminds me of a common sight: signs with gratuitous quotation marks. The change in meaning is usually inadvertently humorous. Example: A roadside sign advertising “Fresh” Vegetables. Enjoy the many examples at the Gallery of “Misused” Quotation Marks. Even funnier (to me) than misheard lyrics.
Comments
now that's just plain wrong
Posted by albert on June 12, 2006 at 9:15 AM
Being an English teacher, this sort of thing really bugs me -- particularly the "loose/lose" distinction. This is what those keyring Sharpies are good for.
Posted by Tom Kim on June 12, 2006 at 8:52 PM
I remember being in the local Genuardi's when it first opened up. I was really impressed with the express checkout signs that read, "15 items or fewer." -not that I ever minded "15 items or less." I just thought it was interesting that they observed that particular grammar rule when no one else did.
Posted by howard on June 16, 2006 at 4:51 AM
@Howard - I've actually seen the "x items or fewer" at a couple places, shockingly. And it wasn't a Geunardi's either, never been in one. I can't remember where I saw them now...
Posted by albert on June 16, 2006 at 12:54 PM
I'm a little late to comment here, but I couldn't resist. Have you read Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation? God, I love that book.
Posted by Kate on July 7, 2006 at 11:02 PM
Kate,
I have read Eats, Shoots & Leaves and loved it. It’s right up there with Strunk & White and Henry Fowler’s Modern English Usage.
Posted by Tony on July 12, 2006 at 10:55 PM