Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Grammar issues

I'm back to venting about grammar today.  A story headline in the newspaper admonished us to "Eat Healthy."  Is that like eat broccoli or eat blueberries?  Where does one buy "Healthy"?  I will definitely go and get some to eat.  

This seems sadly related to the failed slogan promoted by Utah a few years ago when signs reminded people to "Drive Safe."  I wondered if I was in trouble because I was driving a Chevy.  I have a safe, but it's not drivable.  Oh, maybe it's like Drive Careful, or Drive Smart, or Drive Fast (oops, probably not that one), maybe Drive Slow (people will honk at you), or even Drive Stupid.  Hey, that makes me think that we can Drive Silly, Drive Crazy, or even Drive Orange.  

Okay, I'll stop.  Some people will say that it doesn't matter as long as people get the message.  I guess that's true as long as those same people don't ever need to be able to communicate accurately with others who speak English. 

4 comments:

Great Grandma Lin said...

i agree with you and if you read the spectrum the local newspaper in st. george. they have some pretty weird creative spellings in their titles to articles. we are educated but somehow it doesn't show in our daily lives....

Rambling Woods said...

Some of this stuff drives me crazy. My husband writes to the publisher when he finds an error in a book or in the newspaper...Michelle

Anonymous said...

Having taught rdg/lang for 30 years...it drives me crazy when it is a public mistake. In a major grocery store there was a huge window sign that said,"If the scanner's price is incorrect and your right...we will refund and double the difference.
And since it is hard wired into my brain at this point, I guess I'll just have to suffer!!

Sheila Keller-Powell said...

Here's a good one for you....a billboard in Utah County that states:

"Sign up for Utah Flash Camps now!"

I know it means the Utah Flash (Jazz D-League), but I wonder how many perverts in Utah County will sign up to perfect their "flashing" techniques during football half times? eeh gads