Cutleries Station
I took this (lousy) photo of a sign that says “Cutleries Station” at Soup Spoon in Novena. In modern standard British and American English, “cutleries” is not a word. (Neither is “equipments”.) What makes...
Author: Lucy Day Werts
Everyday vs. every day
My husband and I sometimes eat at Wild Honey. On our last visit, I was struck by this error on their new menu: OPEN EVERYDAY FROM 9AM It should say: OPEN EVERY DAY FROM...
Keep sight of your personal belongings
This is a photo of a sign in a toilet stall in the Lot One shopping mall. It says: Dear Shopper, Please keep sight of your personal belongings while in the toilet. For assistance,...
Dispose vs. dispose of
This bathroom sign says: Kindly dispose sanitary pads in the sanitary bins provided. Please do not throw them into the toilet bowl as it will choke the sewage sewerage. Thank you for your co-operation....
A punny punnet
I see what you did there, Cold Storage. Green Seedless Grapes Carefully selected from the many varieties available for their good taste, they will definitely meet your “grape expectations”. Unlike the longan box, this...
Today Special
Let’s have a look at a strange sentence. My class today was fun. Which word is “today” modifying? It’s an adverb, and the verb is “was”, so “today” must be modifying “was”. Easy, right?...
Why do we dislike ‘reads’ and ‘eats’ used as nouns?
This sign at Marks & Spencer at Parkway Parade promises a “free $10 food voucher with min $150 spend on apparels and lingerie”. I have always had a vague antipathy towards the shop that...
Style by Joseph M. Williams
I never thought I would read the word “turgid” so many times in my entire life. Style: Toward Clarity and Grace repeats the word, of course, because it’s telling you how to avoid writing...
Pita Pan
Pita Pan is a Middle-Eastern style vegetarian restaurant. It has a clever name but no actual connection to the character Peter Pan created by J.M. Barrie.
Between/to vs between/and vs from/to
Take my word for it, this sign is about a discounted movie screening that is taking place “between 1pm to 3pm”. Using “to” with “between” sounds terrible, but I know why people write this...