Shouldn't a school know how apostrophies work?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Okay, remember this?

Well, my kid goes to the kindergarten that is part of this school complex. It's actually a very good school in a good district, and it's less than five minutes away. So, we thought we'd put her in the four year old kindergarten (she misses the five year old deadline by a couple weeks).

Every month, I get a little one page newsletter from them with the same sorts of typos right there in the headlines. Or, I suppose I should say "Typo's."

It's a freaking SCHOOL. Should they not be at least giving this a little proofing or something? I mean, it's probably some secretary laying the thing out and all, it's not like they're getting an English or Spelling teacher to do it (nothing on secretaries, but I'm just saying I can forgive a secretary for making a typo. Not so much someone whose job it is to not make typos, if you follow me.)

I see that particular typo and normally I just ignore it, but on a school newsletter? It irks me. It reflects badly on the school, in my opinion. And you cannot tell me I'm the only one noticing it.

[gaspode]

I had something similar,when my eldest was at junior school.The headmistress was a complete dragon,looking down on everybody,but I brought her down a peg or two the day she was stood by a poster she had done and I pointed out the fact she had spelt " receipt " incorrectly.

[MoonCat]

The misuse of apostrophes bugs me. A lot. Every store around here has numerous examples. "Apple's" - "We accept coupon's" - "No refund's" - you get the idea.

[Marmalady]

Our local pound store has a sign that offers 'Reading glass's'.

[foodservicesucks]

My high school has had many signs like that... especially the cafeteria.
"Drinking fountain brokened."
"Bannannas"
"Spoones"
"Collossal Burger"
"Effective Febreary 28..."

It kinda makes my head hurt.

[greek_jester]

I mean, it's probably some secretary laying the thing out and all, it's not like they're getting an English or Spelling teacher to do it (nothing on secretaries, but I'm just saying I can forgive a secretary for making a typo. Not so much someone whose job it is to not make typos, if you follow me.)

Actually, everywhere I've worked, it's been the job of the secretaries to make sure that the accountants haven't come out with some horrible grammatical or spelling error. In fact, one of the smaller places I worked, I covered for the part time secretary/receptionist, & one of the first things she told me was "[partner] is a very clever man, but his grammar is atrocious. Always type up as he dictates, then go back and proof-read it before printing it up for signing."

Any professional office I've worked in values the secretaries above almost anyone else, as they're the main reason the professionals don't look like idiots in their professional correspondence.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

It's a freaking SCHOOL. Should they not be at least giving this a little proofing or something?

Correct it and send it back to the school. Put a big red "F" on the top corner.

"Bannannas"

Bannannas, do do dododo,
bannanna, do do do do,
bannanna, do do dododo, dododo, dododo, dodododododo do do dodo do...

(I couldn't have been the only one thinking this...)

[42_42_42]

Okay, this thing with plurals and apostrophes is just getting to be too much. How is it that all of a sudden no one seems to understand how to correctly form plurals or use apostrophes? It really is not that difficult.

[Captain Trips]

Grammar Nazi warning:

You know, the " ' " symbol means more than "this is in the possessive." It can also mean "here is a space holder for a letter intentionally dropped." Like the word "e'en" as a poetic for "even." (We use these all the time in the Ren Faire.)

Of course, this had more meaning when all the vowels were pronounced. Or should I say "pronounc-ed" (which then, with only two syllables becomes "pronounc'd.")


Admittedly, it's not common usage, but it is acceptable.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Correct it and send it back to the school. Put a big red "F" on the top corner.

(I couldn't have been the only one thinking this...)

Don't give me any naughty ideas!

[noone]

How to use an apostrophe

This website (he's got other grammar stuff) helped me pass our College Writing Exam the second time... Such a failure for a self-proclaimed "Grammar Nazi"...

I failed the multiple choice... I blame the Learning Disability...

[Chromatix]

I agree: a secretary should be one of the more thoroughly literate members of staff. Their entire job is to communicate with the outside world (whether that's just the next department, customers, or the public). There was a time when the ability to use a typewriter quickly and accurately was a requirement for any job of that title.

With that said, school newsletters have a tendency to be written, at least partly, by the students. Admittedly this is somewhat less likely for a kindergarten, but equally it is likely to be some random member of teaching or administrative staff, not necessarily the most able or qualified person.

On the gripping hand, if the *teachers* are illiterate...

[Shalom]

How to use an apostrophe

How about How not to use an apostrophe.

[Food Lady]

Correct it and send it back to the school. Put a big red "F" on the top corner.

awesome

[HawaiianShirts]

Correct it and send it back to the school. Put a big red "F" on the top corner.

Yeah, that's what I would do! I've done it several times, mostly on advertisements that get left in my mailbox or on my doorknob. I've also started correcting the signs my co-workers make and put up around the cube farm. (We had one memo circulating last week that was plagued with spelling errors. My co-worker stopped by my desk with that memo and said, "HawaiianShirts, you saw this before I got it, didn't you? I could tell because there are editing marks all over it.") Nobody's complained yet.

Don't give me any naughty ideas!

If you don't want naughty ideas, you'd better not spend much time on this forum.