Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation Examples

A recent conversation on Twitter with @WendyDrexler got me thinking about all the resources I have saved for teaching grammar. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing incorrect spelling or grammar in a professional setting - stores, signs, public places, etc. I use the word professional loosely. Look at the pictures, and you'll see why.

Last year on my way to work one morning I nearly drove into a gas pump trying to snap a picture of this atrocity. Once at school, I shared it with my home room, and we immediately wrote and faxed an angry email to the Dunkin' Donuts location. Their reply never came, but the next day the sign was corrected, thus proving the silent effectiveness of grammar vigilance.

This sign is posted for a water ride at the former Six Flags location in Darien, NY. I'm supposed to put my full trust on a roller coaster that's traveling upside down at 60 miles per hour, but they can't handle catching a simple grammatical error? Now you know why I won't ride on roller coasters.

I have nothing to say about this one, other than it was posted outside a stand at a flea market. 'Nuff said.

This stand has become a staple at the annual "America's Fair" in Hamburg, NY, and its sign actually serves as a great example for students. Technically it could be correct IF it is owned by two people named Jared. If students can figure that out, you can rightfully assume they understand possessive nouns. If this isn't true, however, two things can be assumed about Jared. He didn't pay much attention to grammar lessons in school, and he's also a genius for figuring out how to make twinkies more delicious.

This is a tough one - Should it be owner's expense or owners' expense? For this sign to be correct, the creator would have to know the specifics behind the deed of the vehicle. This is posted at the side entrance of my school. Hooray for teachable moments.

Canadians and New Yorkers alike love their coffee from this regional chain named after the former hockey great. But despite his fatal car accident in 1974 and the selling of the franchise by his family, it's still named after him. Especially since he's been dead for 35 years, I don't expect to walk in and see a stack of Tims, so the sign should read Tim Horton's.

For some reason people find the need to make the word taco possessive (A Google search for "taco's" yields almost 250,000 hits). I have pictures of three other taco signs, and I always told myself if I found one more I would create whoistaco.com to host my collection. I'm just crazy enough to do it.

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