"Employee's only"
Here's a rant:
So one of my big grammar pet peeves is the misuse of the apostrophe on public signs. As a teacher, I was always embarrassed to walk around the halls of Brainerd High School and see student-made signs that said things like "Get your t-shirt's and sweatshirt's now" or "Buy your prom ticket's from Paula in the Main Office."
But signs in public are the worst because I do not understand why a business would not have someone with a brain proofread. I always hated seeing the sign for Poncho & Lefty's that said "Margarita's, Fajita's, and Fun!" So I found a collection of such errors:
This is among the easiest of all grammar rules to understand. Nothing says "uneducated middle school dropout" like using an apostrophe to pluralize a word. Ignorant bastard's.
offered up to the world by CoachDub @ 8:09 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
How do you feel about the misuse of the apostrophe in "it's"?
From time to time I still confuse whether the apostrophe should show possession or the contraction.
Perhaps I should blame this on my English teachers who failed miserably in teaching me proper grammar...
wv:lbqeec
Yeah, I'm not happy about that one either, Cameron, but it does not make me cringe as much as the apostrophe-as-plural.
PS. You must have had some REALLY lame English teachers . . .
Oh wait. You're talking about me! Dammit! I've failed you.
Toward the end of this year they got fancy new plaques for all the classrooms in BHS. They have raised letters on a background. There were a couple which read "Teacher's Lounge." Someone apparently pointed out the error here, so to fix it the used white-out on the brand new signs and drew in an apostrophe in the correct place (after the 's') with a marker. Very classy.
Also: I often use an apostrophe in possesive "its", because that's the way I think it should be. I realize this makes me a terrible person.
Those signs were really bad, Mr. Wanninger. Good thing you were gone or you would've gone all Samson on BHS.
Mr. Wanninger, was that four hour stretch between your comments for dramatic effect, or did it really take you that long?
Actually, I think you were the first teacher since the third grade to teach any grammar whatsoever. I remember many people had low and failing grades at the beginning of second semester in your class because of that preliminary vocab test though.
Cameron, I posted the first comment, and then my internet went down, but then when it came back up, I had to leave for work, so that explains the lag time. The whole time, I was thinking, "Crap, he's going to think I'm an idiot because of the delay between comments."
Sure. We believe you.
technically, the "employee's only" one could be right... i mean, that room could be owned solely be the employee...
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