During the family vaca in August – I noticed a small sign by the side of the main drag in Yarmouth, a fantastically busy thru-way, with motels, beach shops, bike rental shops … We would drive down this road to go grocery shopping, or get ice coffees.
And every day I noticed a small yellow billboard, placed on two poles in the grass.
The sign said:
Tell your Mom you need a tutor!
(The first thing I thought was the wrong-ness behind the entire idea. Not in having a tutor, but in targeting CHILDREN with the sign. Isn’t it a parent’s job to recognize: “My kid has no idea what he is doing. He cannot read. I should get him a tutor.” Is it really the responsibility of a child to realize: “Huh. If I don’t pick up on this whole fractions thing, I will be left way behind, and will never get a decent job, and my whole life will spiral downwards into a pit of hell … Mom! I need a tutor!”)
But this is just a tangent for the real problem.
They listed their phone number.
1-Tutors-Is-Us
Tutors IS us?
You guys must just be MATH tutors then, cause I ain’t sure that “is” be the correct word.
I love that!!!
And in the same spirit I wanted to share this – I work for a moving company that handles corporate relocations, and I see, on some of our paperwork, that we move items like “chester drawers” and “jungle jims” – which sound to me like potential names of characters in a series of childrens’ books…
A big name builder in my town put up a sign in a very public sight thanking local politicians by saying, “Your the Best”. I snuck on the property in the dark of night with the “you’re” correction and pasted it to the sign. I couldn’t stand how stupid it made us all look!
This is not necessarily the same sort of thing, but one of my pet peeves is when businesses have signs that says “ATM Machine.” They don’t understand that the M in ATM already has the “machine” part covered.
I shouldn’t let things like this bug me.
Ok, while we are on the subject, I can’t stand when people say the non-word “orientate”. As in, “I got hired at McDonald’s. I have to orientate at 2:00 today.” You are either oriented or disoriented, not orienTATE.
How about the over use or incorrect use of words such as, essentially and virtually? Ever noticed that people incorrectly use the singular “is” rather than “are?” For instance, – There’s about five people waiting. – I can’t tell you how much that bugs me. I hear it in commercials, on the news and in meetings with coworkers. The list goes on, but there is one that beats all others. Heighth. No! It’s Height! There’s no “h” at the end!
You had to get me started.
Patrick, by all means: keep going!
I have a friend who writes to companies with incorrect grammar in their billboards. He actually takes the time to write out a note, get a stamp, find the address, write the address on the envelope, and go to a mailbox.
Now that is a commitment to grammar.
It is good to know that I am not the only one who is bugged by stuff like this.
And VERY good point on the essentially and virtually thing. Very good point.
I applaud your friend’s dedication.
OK, Here’s another one. Fewer and less. For instance, a radio commercial that says something like “there are less errors” with their product, or something to that effect. Argh!
This is a very helpful web site: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors
You’ll win a grammar argument in the office or with your know-it-all-high-school-teacher brother every time.
Patrick is essentially the blogger grammar guru. He is virtually a god!
Bow and do me worship!
This entry is more than a month old, so I have doubts whether anyone will read my comment. However, this touched a deep nerve in me. These types of errors drive me nuts, but I have a personal favorite. In Ohio, we have a restaurant chain called Tee Jayes Country Palace, or something like that. For years, every time I have driven into downtown, I have had to pass one of their restaurants with a sign that says, “Tee Jayes…Country cooking at it’s best.” Mind you, this is not a temporary posting with removable letters. This is a professionally produced, permanent sign akin to those in front of Denny’s or Burger King. When I think of the number of people(management, advertising, design, etc.) who had to sign off on that apostrophe in “it’s”–well, let’s just say I could never eat in a place run by that many nincompoops.
You write “they listed their phone nomber…” This is not allowed. Companies and company names are singular — only a point since you focus is on IS vs. ARE. Thus, …listed ITS phone…. Perhaps you should not “throw stones.”
Ohhhh, you’re one of those. I’ll throw stones any time I want to.