tips, thoughts, and advice from a language geek
This advertisement depicting a couple on a cruise ship says: Where Everyone Gets What They Need As a writer of English curriculum materials for kids, I’ve become incredibly sensitive to singular/plural agreement. I think...
If you thought “a la carte” was the opposite of “buffet”, think again! I think the idea is that you pay a fixed price (in this case $25), and then you get to request...
This is a sign at the entrance to a construction site on West Coast Road at Clementi Woods Park. I’m happy that there have not been any accidents. I know that because the number...
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...
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,...
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....
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?...
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...
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.
