Hank Kleinberg
We’ve talked often about clarity. We’ve called out confusing signs before. The one on the left here is in California. Does it mean that after 7 p.m., you can park as long as you want? Or not at all? The sign on the right was in Florida. It could mean, “No loitering. Police are watching.” Or, it could mean, “No loitering. And police, if you’re out there, keep an eye out.” Which is it"?
We recently visited a restaurant where the food was good; the apostrophes not so much.
“Horribly Wrong” is not about politics. It’s about grammar. Either violate the apostrophe rule, or don’t.
Photo: Two donuts. Text: One donut. Which is it? We can guess.
Wow. A savings of five-hundredths of one penny. What a deal.
The common lay/lie goof! Usually it’s the other way around. Here, you would lay something down. This note is instructing you to get flat on the ground, and whatever you do, don’t stand!
And we go to the video archives for Segment 87: Modifiers More Misplaced.
Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong" features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police.” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, menus, TV news graphics, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we can credit you properly. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com
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NOTE: Eliot and Lou Ann are available for speaking engagements, and can travel. Reach us through the comments section. Just think of all of your employees getting back to work on a Monday, their heads filled with all the ways we’ve shown them to be better communicators!
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