We share photos of English language that either does not mean what the writer thought it means, or it does not mean anything at all, and then we use these examples to teach correct English.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
A skank eats cheese?
There can be a big difference between using the letter "a" and the letter "u", or, in this case, a letter "u" that looks too much like a letter "a." A "skunk," which this word is supposed to be, is an animal. A "skank," which this word is not supposed to be, in an insult that one person might call another.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Visit to a... what?!?!?
This is an actual medical bill for visiting a doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor's first initial is "A" and his family name is "Dick," and calling someone "a dick" is an insult.
If only someone had reviewed this, the best alternative would probably be to use his full first name, instead of the initial "A," plus the prefix "Dr." A visit to "Dr. Alfred Dick" or "Dr. Abraham Dick" or "Dr. Alex Dick," or whatever his name is, would be highly preferable to just "Visit to A Dick."
Monday, June 8, 2015
We never sicken with love twice.
"Love sick" is an English idiom, but it is used as a state of being, not as a process. Someone can be love sick, in which case he or she loves someone else very much, but someone does not "become sick" or "sicken" with love. A better way of writing this would be: "No, we are never stricken with love twice."
The second sentence, "Cupid spends no second arrow on the same heart," sounds very nice and is rather poetic.
A third sentence, above these, simply needs punctuation and one letter capitalized: "If you would be loved, love and be lovable."
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Enjoy a... ddung burger???
In English, "dung" means feces, or the solid waste that leaves your body through your anus. Adding another letter D does not change the sound, and naming food after it is a very bad idea.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Wonju Bus Terminal
Photographed on an inside wall at the bus terminal in Wonju (원주시), Gangwon Province (강원도), South Korea (대한민국), this has no meaning in English. Because Wonju begins with the letter "W," someone decided to nickname the city "W-city" and then list a few random English words that also begin with the letter "W." The use of "so" suggests that these words are a reason to use Wonju bus terminal, yet these words do not form a complete sentence, do not describe Wonju city, and do not describe bus travel.
A better way to write this would be to forget about the "W" theme, forget about listing unrelated words, and just write a normal English sentence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)