Punctuation Counts

Not sure if this has been addressed or posted here, but thought I would start a thread.

For those of you who hated English, especially punctuation, here's why it mattered.

"Let's eat, Grandma" vs. "Let's eat Grandma"

My favorite -
"A woman without her man is nothing" vs. "A woman: without her, man is nothing"

Saw this on an old ad -
"Oh! Boy Syrup" should be "Oh Boy! Syrup"

This one is cute -
"Bathroom is only for disabled elderly pregnant children" instead of "Bathroom is only for disabled, elderly, pregnant, children"

So, do you guys know any others?

 

A personal favourite:

"Those things over there are my husband's."
"Those things over there are my husbands."

 

That's good, I haven't seen that one before. I have to say, I had to read it a couple of times to catch the punctuation error.

Although, if you lived in Salt Lake City, the second might be accurate....no wait, you would have to change husbands to wives. But that brings up a whole new discussion!

 

I cannot, alas, take any credit for the example I used above. The originator was, I believe, the novelist Kingsley Amis.

 

Punctuation is SO important. At one time, I taught pre-AP English classes to eighth graders. I discovered that even the smartest person becomes lazy. Many of them had poor spelling and punctuation. (Part of this, too, is because of the rapid texting they are use to using.) So, regardless of the paper to be turned in, I counted two points off for punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. They may have had good content in the paper, but the errors in basic writing lowered their grade (in some cases, significantly).

 

I do me best ................

 

"So, do you guys know any others?"

Yes! One that particularly irks us, seen constantly around "these parts". Examples: Sign at parking garage reads "CAR'S ONLY". Guy selling tools, sign reads "TOOL'S". And on and on. My wife and I always read them as "CAR IS", or "TOOL IS".

 

RR crossing on my way to work in Phoenix had the crossed-arms sign stating "2 TRCAKS".

 

I love the sign that said PARKING FOR THE BLIND

 

@Martin Alonzo Along the same lines, the "Americans with Disabilities Act" requires Braille lettering on the ATMs located within the drive-up lanes of banks! Blind drivers are thus guaranteed efficient service, I guess! Frank