It’s been more than a month since I posted the first group of funny (or not-so-funny for some) signs on FWJ. When I woke up this morning, I thought that it would be a good idea to post some more signs for the grammar section. After all, it is a Monday, and we can all use some cheering up on this day of the week.
First up comes lots of lot’s.
Photo courtesy of Steve Dinn
We can’t point fingers at Sony here, but the sign sure does take something away from the message, doesn’t it? Just so we’re all clear on what’s wrong, check out the rules for using apostrophes in a previous post.
Here’s the next sign.
Photo courtesy of Avocado8
The message would have been so much more meaningful if they had just gotten the difference between “then” and “than.” If you remember, this is one mistake that just might make you look stupid, even if you aren’t.
Photo courtesy of NY Law Blog
They did get “you’re” right, but even the most ataraxic writer might feel chest pains from that subject-verb agreement mistake. I know I am NOT recommending this law school to anyone – not even to someone I do not like.
For our last image, can someone point out to me what’s wrong?
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Perry
I have to admit that this is one of the most common mistakes that I encounter, whether in spoken or written English. It pains me to say this, but we just might be facing the possibility that one day, few and less might be used interchangeably. What do you have to say about that?
I need to take a photo of the empty storefronts in downtown Jersey City. The sign says, “Space Avaliable.”
That’s a good idea! Shoot me an e-mail, guys, and when I gather enough photos from you, I can put them all together in one post later on.
Misuse of “‘s” is the most common mistake I see. I’m currently house-sitting in San Francisco, so I see hundreds of signs every day. It’s typically the small shop owner that’s most likely to make mistakes. I actually find many of them endearing, especially in the Mission district and Chinatown.
What’s the mistake in the last one?
Hi Mandy – the use of “less” instead of “fewer”. The sign refers to “items,” which is countable, so the qualifier should be “few” instead of “less”.
Thanks Noemi for pointing out the mistake.
Noemi, what if it is “ten liters of milk” instead of “ten items”? Will the qualifier be “fewer” or “less”?
The sign at the McDonald’s PlayPlace near my house reads: “For Safeties Sake, Parents Must Accompany Children…”