Melonade

This morning I was shopping for a friend's wedding, and when the hunger pains hit I stopped in at a local Subway. (It's not difficult-- there seems to be one on every other corner.) While waiting in line, I noticed a sign taped to the sneezeguard. It asked patrons not to use their cell phones in line, and I applauded on the inside. Yay Subway!

But the next sign made me cringe. Here's what it said: "No bills larger than $20's excepted." Naturally, I'm thinking "Excepted from what?" even though I know that's probably not what the intention of the sign was. I've got to read 'em like I see 'em. (There were actually two mistakes, but I'm not going to comment on the other one.)

If you're a grammar nerd like I am or are interested in becoming one, you might want to read Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (if you're not amused by the title, ask the first grammar nerd you can find to explain it to you). This is an entertaining book on common punctuation mistakes. Yes! Entertaining grammar books do exist! Just give it a chance. You may learn something new, and that's always fun.

Coincidentally, the same kinds of mistakes that make me cringe are the ones that make Jay Leno's Headlines segment such a hoot. If you miss his weekly insight into America's stupidity in print, you can always check out the website for past grammar and spelling goofs. (My recent favorite was the under-represented minority of the Puerto Raccoons.)

Tips for the Day: have a laugh, read a good book, and don't rely on spellcheck to catch all your mistakes.