Apostrophe Catastrophes

All Vowels Plus an Erroneous Apostrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Craig spotted this major apostrophe catastrophe in a Toyota ad.

I guess they can't afford a proofreader if they are practically giving trucks away.

Thanks, Craig!

Idiot Bumper Sticker Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:54:00 +0000

Alan spotted this bumper sticker, which was obviously created by an idiot.

Regardless of your politics, you can't deny that this bumper sticker is idiotic based on its punctuation.

Thanks, Alan!

Boat Catastrophe / Triumph

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:54:00 +0000

As a Bostonian/Cantabrigian, I haven't felt like making light of apostrophe catastrophes in the past week. Life has been sad, scary, and surreal, among other things. But nothing seemed funny. The bombers lived only blocks from my house, and some of my friends who live in Watertown were having their houses searched by the SWAT Team. I couldn't use "catastrophe" in the same sentence as "apostrophe" anymore. But finally today, the Onion was able to find some levity in the situation, while also mocking Taylor Swift. Thank you, Onion.

And then, as fate would have it, Bradley sent me this boat-related catastrophe from the Great Salt Lake Marina.

I'd like to dedicate this apostrophe catastrophe to Dave Henneberry, who clearly has excellent attention to detail and is a very responsible boat owner. As soon as the cops lifted the ban on leaving one's house, Dave went outside and found the second bomber hiding in his boat.

Thank you, Dave, for helping Watertown breathe a collective sigh of relief, and thanks to Bradley for sending in this maritime apostrophe catastrophe that reminded me of Dave and helped me regain a sense of normalcy.

Misogynistic Apostrophe Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:47:00 +0000

My friend Kate alerted me to this news story about a state representative from New Hampshire who made an offensive comment about women. The worst part about this incident is that Peter Hansen refers to all women as "vagina's," making his statement even more catastrophic. Clearly Hansen knows nothing about women, or punctuation.

Thanks, Kate!

The Girl Is a Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:38:00 +0000

I love when readers send me apostrophe catastrophes committed by companies that I already look down upon, such as Walmart, but it saddens me when I receive catastrophes from stores that I like. So, I shared in Shawn's disappointment upon finding this one at Kohl's.

Shawn writes, "I put everything back and left, I was so disappointed." That's dedication, Shawn. If I had one of those 30%-off coupons, I think I would turn a blind eye to the apostrophe catastrophe. But you better shape up, Kohl's, or I'll just buy everything from Target and Old Navy.

Thanks, Shawn!

Let's Get Some (Catastrophic) Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Robert sent in this giant apostrophe catastrophe from a shoe advertisement.

I like the sentiment, but that apostrophe placement is as wrong as wearing white shoes after Labor Day. Remember, it's means "it is."

Thanks, Robert!

Gas Station Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:03:00 +0000

This gas station may be a "full service propane dealer," but it certainly does not serve up proper punctuation.

Thanks to Dan for sending in this catastrophe!

You Are Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Adam spotted this giant apostrophe catastrophe in the center of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear.

He says that this company also has a horrible radio jingle and is "big enough to know better."

Thanks, Adam!

Sordid Teas

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:57:00 +0000

Jerome writes that this sign should say "sordid teas" because of the errant apostrophe.

I'm not sure about the tea, but the punctuation is certainly not fine.

Thanks, Jerome!

Cheap Sofa Is on TV

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:51:00 +0000

Cathy writes that she was watching TV while her husband was still asleep and this catastrophic commercial came on Fox 5.

She ran the risk of waking her husband up, but it was worth it to capture the apostrophe catastrophe in all its glory. The exclamation point is in an odd place, too.

Thanks, Cathy!

Canopy Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:46:00 +0000

Scott sent in this apostrophe catastrophe from a county fair in Columbia County, New York.

The smaller sign on the left spells the plural of canopy correctly, so maybe the larger sign is saying that one canopy is for sale? Doubtful, but I'm ever the optimist.

Thanks, Scott!

Oi! Scottish Catastrophe!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:23:00 +0000

Alan posted this catastrophe from a shop in the Edinburgh airport.

In this case, its is a pronoun and shouldn't have an apostrophe. Perhaps a bleary-eyed traveler made this sign.

Thanks, Alan!

I Wear My Sunglasses for Free

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Being a famous blogger has its perks. Sometimes* companies give me free products in exchange for wearing and advertising them.
*OK, this happened once, but it was cool...

The company that made me feel like a celebrity was Firmoo , which sells affordable prescription glasses and sunglasses. If you go to an optician, you might pay upwards of $300 for new frames, but you can get them for about a tenth of that price through Firmoo. They are even doing a promotion right now for free glasses for first-time buyers. You don't even have to be an internet celebrity like me. An obvious drawback to this is that you can't try on the glasses or have a professional adjust them, but I think this service would work well for a backup pair or for sunglasses, which don't have to fit as well as regular glasses.

I don't wear glasses, so for my free pair, I went with a pair of sunglasses with plain lenses. When they arrived, I was pleased that they came with a durable-looking case, a cleaning cloth, and a little carrying bag. These glasses are clearly higher quality than any other glasses I've ever owned because I never pay more than like $9.99 for sunglasses at Target or CVS. Seriously, I cannot think of more of a waste of money than designer sunglasses. I'm just going to lose them in the ocean eventually anyway!

So, here's what the Firmoo package comes with:

I like the purple color of the frames, but I wish the lenses were darker. You can clearly see my eyes through the glasses, which I don't like. Maybe this works for Bono but not on the beach.

Anyway, this might work fine on an overcast day, but in the bright sun, I'll need more shade.

Thanks, Firmoo for sending me the free glasses, and I apologize for waiting several months to post this. Obviously, it was the summer when I received these glasses. I miss the sun...

Sick Kicks Punctuation for the Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Derrick sent me this apostrophe catastrophe from fab.com.

Cute shoes (OMG. Shoes.) but bad punctuation. Mens is not a word.

Thanks, Derrick!

Vermont County Fair Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0000

My friend Jodi's brother sent in this catastrophe from a county fair in Vermont.

Frightening. I was helping a kid with her Health homework today and had to explain what LSD is. I should have used this picture.

Thanks, Jodi's brother! [And thanks to Jodi for pointing out my typo in this post earlier. Oops]

Criminal Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 17:51:00 +0000

Jefferson sent in this catastrophe from the Montgomery (MD) County courthouse.

Objection! Jefferson says that the construction at the courthouse has made a mess of the parking situation, and the courthouse's signage!

Thanks, Jefferson!

Two Cousin Is

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 01:47:00 +0000

Happy New Year, everyone! I apologize that I have fallen woefully behind on posting your submissions. Luckily, Joe recently emailed me to remind me to post this photo from Cleveland, which gave me the motivation that I had been lacking lately.

As Sweet Brown would say, "Bad punctuation? Ain't nobody got time for that!" I resolve to get back on track. Keep those submissions coming!

Thanks, Joe!

Holiday Catastrophe!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:38:00 +0000

Evelyn spotted this catastrophic flyer from a store in San Diego.

Evelyn says apostrophe catastrophes are her biggest pet peeve. I hope it doesn't ruin her holiday! Bah humbug.

Thanks, Evelyn!

I Want My Tuition Back

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:39:00 +0000

Leaving class tonight, I noticed this triple apostrophe catastrophe on a bulletin board.

I grade this an "F"!

Newer Magazines

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Travis sent this double catastrophe from a dentist's office in LA.

Ouch! The picture of the lips is pretty awful, too.

Quiz: Anyone know what the title of this posting refers to?

Thanks, Travis!

Fox News Weather Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Breaking news: There's an apostrophe catastrophe on Fox 25 Boston right now. The weather forecasters were so excited to induce mass hysteria that we might get two inches of snow on Tuesday that they forgot to proofread the title of this story.

Don't ask me what masochistic tendencies caused me to have the local news on in my living room, but I guess it's a good thing because I was able to capture this catastrophe.

I think this is a sign once and for all that I should cancel my cable.

Pre-Fab Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Heather spotted this doozy in Austin, Texas.

The sign maker was looking for a unique way to advertise an alternative to a double wide and ended up with a double catastrophe. It's certainly eye-catching!

Thanks, Heather!

Event Is Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Joe spotted this catastrophic sign on the way to Emma Lake, Saskatchewan.

If the store is named after a person named Fern, the first apostrophe is fine, but the second one is a catastrophe for sure.

Thanks, Joe!

Houston, We Have a Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:08:00 +0000

Dustin sent in this unique apostrophe catastrophe from Torchy's Tacos in Houston, Texas.

I'm not sure I would trust their food with an error like that on their sign.

Thanks, Dustin!

Money Can't Buy Good Puncutation

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:10:00 +0000

Leah spotted this catastrophe "forever cast in bronze" in one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts.

It's youth should not have an apostrophe in it. Weston may have many Romney-esque salaries, but poor punctuation always looks cheap.

Thanks, Leah!