Society for Quality Education: Sharing Proven Effective Practices: Blog : Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth…

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth…

October 24, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 06:12 AM

Jack Lakey, marvelling over the misuse of apostrophes and hyphens in this sign, describes the modern epidemic of apostropheitis as one of the mysteries of modern life, given that "schools are still teaching punctuation and grammar".

There could be several explanations of this mystery. For example, perhaps there is an up-until-now-undetected disease which attacks that part of young people's brains that understands punctuation. Or maybe there is a secret (and huge) band of apostrophe lovers which has this amazing ability to somehow over-ride the punctuation skills of recent graduates. Or possibly it's the latest fashion among youths to want to appear stupid and uneducated.

Lastly, improbable as it may seem, there is always the chance that schools are in fact not teaching punctuation and grammar, or at least teaching them so badly that they might as well not be.

Comments

Readers who like to laugh while they learn might like the best-seller “Eats,Shoots & Leaves” by Lynne Truss.

Stay tuned to SQE for Stairway to Grammar worksheets coming soon.

Posted by Doretta on 10/24 at 07:27 AM

One could make the argument that the primary message comes across with clarity. The names of the events, the location of the all-important PARKING and the vivid contract to the dull, unvariegated background.

As a motorist in that district but seldom, I would be first grateful, then amused. I’m sure the bank takes the property owner’s cash deposits just the same.

Posted by Charles on 10/24 at 11:18 AM

... vivid CONTRAST,,,,,

Posted by Charles on 10/24 at 11:19 AM

Are we being led to believe that the sign was created and proof-read by young people?

Posted by Stephen Hurley on 10/24 at 01:51 PM

No, Mr. Hurley, because the problem of a lack of quality in education has been around for decades, so many of the ‘proofers’ could be well into their 40’s by now…

Posted by Bev on 10/24 at 03:42 PM

Fair enough! I was educated in the 60’s and 70’s. No, actually I was schooled in the 60’s and 70’s (my real education began when I got married) and I remember parsing sentences, learning formal grammar, etc. My most powerful “language leasons” came, however, during the years of studying Latin.

Posted by Stephen Hurley on 10/24 at 04:41 PM

Subscribe to our mailing list

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth…

Comments

Leave A Comment