Double Mountain Apostrophe Catastrophe

Joe spotted this sign that features two apostrophe catastrophes and a missing comma at a mall in Lansing, Michigan.

I appreciate the sentiment, but am appalled by the punctuation (and capitalization of articles).

Thanks, Joe!

Code Blue for this 'Hosprital' Sign

Amusing articles in the Sun and the Daily Mail report that St. Luke's Hospital in England made two critical mistakes on its new sign.

Here's the image from the Daily Mail:


"Hospital" is misspelled the second time, and the name of the facility needs an apostrophe. I'm not sure why "No" is capitalized in the last sentence and why there is no period at the end either.

I know the NHS is perpetually hurting for money, but they could have at least sprung for a proofreader. This sign is in need of emergency care.

Gardening Catastrophe

Someone handed this flyer to Kate's husband in Hampton, England:


I don't know if I have ever seen so many apostrophe catastrophes on one page! While it's not technically an error, per se, it looks awkward to start an advertisement with parentheses.

Thanks, Kate!

Same Place, Two New Catastrophes

I spotted this sign in the bathroom of the bar where I saw this catastrophe a few weeks ago.


To even out the trifecta of errors, summer should not be capitalized. Sadly, it's time for them to come out with new drinks for fall. I wonder how long that sign has been up.

You Are Service, You Are Meals

Jeff reports that he spotted this "magnet sign on the side of a shady looking van in Bethesda, MD."


We're not sure what the doorknob on the sign is supposed to signify. Jeff says he was kind of nervous when he was taking the photo.

Jeff, thank you for risking your life for the sake of capturing apostrophe catastrophes!

At Least the Food Was Good

This sign that I found in the bathroom at Gargoyles restaurant in Davis Square features just about every type of punctuation problem known to man.


We've got comma splices, unnecessary quotation marks, missing periods, random capitalization, and, of course, apostrophe catastrophes. My favorite part is where they put two apostrophes in Boston's'. What the hell?

But the food was awesome, and I got to have duck for the second time in one week. Life is good.

Reusable Bag Catastrophe

The QFC grocery store in Port Hadlock, Washington, is trying to encourage green living, but this sign is polluting the environment with an apostrophe catastrophe.


Besides the errant apostrophe in its, this sign should also have a period at the end of the sentence. And reusable bag is not a proper noun, so what's with the capitalization?

Thanks to Cathy for sending this one in.

Something for Everyone

This flyer, submitted by Robert, features just about every kind of punctuation mistake, plus a few random errors thrown in.


We've got capitalization and spacing problems, random periods and semicolons, apostrophe catastrophes, and even a misplaced hyphen. Yikes!

Thanks, Robert!

Waxed Tissue Is ... a Person?

Christina spotted today's apostrophe catastrophe at a supermarket in suburban Cleveland.


She also wonders when waxed tissues became a proper noun. Good question!

Thanks, Christina!

There Are Things that I Still Have to Learn

Scott, who submitted this photo to the Apostrophe Catastrophes facebook group, writes, "I saw this in a display case in a school I visited in March. I hope it is student-generated work, and not that of a teacher."


I hope so, too. Also, another group member pointed out that the sign should say 100th, and she wondered why the p is capitalized.

Oh, the future of America....

Thanks, Scott!

A Day Late and a Sandwich Short

Andrew, who spotted this apostrophe catastrophe near Cardiff, suspects that "the sign writer is a sandwich short."


The sign is also missing one of the periods in the ellipses and could use some punctuation at the end of the slogan, as well.

Thanks, Andrew!

Which Witch Misuses Which Apostrophe?

Lorraine found this apostrophe catastrophe in a craft shop in Monymusk, Aberdeenshire (Scotland):


I don't want to criticize it too much because I'm afraid the Witch might put a spell on me. And why is Witch capitalized?

Thanks, Lorraine!

This Is Pretty Tacky, Even for Wal-Mart

Melissa sent in this sign from her local Wal-Mart:


She says that she thinks the sign writer wasn't sure about any of the apostrophes, so she placed three of them tentatively. Well, two out of three ain't bad!

Thanks, Melissa! And Happy (belated) Father's Day to all the fathers out there, especially mine.

Bad Punctuation Doesn't Take a Holiday

This ad for cranberry extract features an apostrophe catastrophe and random capitalization:


And what is that woman doing anyway? Wait, don't answer that. This is a family blog.

This Makes My Brain Hurt

Dave from Bristol, England, was horrified when someone slipped this flyer under his door:


Don't look too hard at this image or your head might explode. With the missing apostrophe in childrens, the errant apostrophe in partie's, and the spacing and capitalization problems, this is one of the worst catastrophes I've seen in a while.

Thanks, Dave!

The Sale that Gives Back

The Happy Medic wonders, who is this Give person, and what's wrong with his/her back?


Thanks, HM!

Unstoppably Bad Grammar

My friend/former co-worker Fiona sent me a link from one of the most poorly written web sites I've ever seen. Are you ready to be horrified?


Two apostrophe catastrophes (three if you count "TV's" as a catastrophe -- depends on your style guide), random capitalization, subject verb disagreement, spacing problems, a spelling mistake, no periods, missing hyphens, run-on sentences ... this web site has it all. My brain hurts.

Thanks, Fiona! Way to carpe diem! (She's a Latin teacher.)

Flushing Punctuation Down the Toilet

An anonymous reader sent me this badly punctuated and randomly capitalized sign from the bathroom at her workplace:


Ms. X wonders why the sign writer used an apostrophe in pads but not tampons and why certain words are capitalized for no reason. And finally, "Why put this sign above a box that is designed specifically for toilet paper and seat covers instead of on the flap to the garbage box?"

I guess we'll never know.

Thanks, anonymous woman in San Jose, California!

This Ruined the View

A few months ago, a couple of friends and I made our way to the top floor of the Custom House to check out the view. But this sign kind of ruined it.


It's venues? Also, city shouldn't be capitalized.

Tourists, don't let this apostrophe catastrophe tarnish Boston's image. Some of us know how to use proper punctuation.

Here's a Tip: Learn Some Grammar!

My friend Tiffers sent me a photo of a sign that is so atrocious that I don't know where to begin.


Tiff found this sign near the tip jar at the Candy Castle in Lexington, MA. It lists the colleges that the student employees attend or will be attending in the fall. But with all the errors in the sign, it's a wonder these kids graduated from high school let alone got admitted to top colleges! The horrors of this sign include:
- Missing apostrophes (Columbias sister school)
- Homonym errors (Boston your my home)
- Spelling mistakes (Conneticut College)

Tiff found the your/you're error the most disturbing because she went to Boston College. Looking beyond all the grammatical errors for a moment, however, I think I am most offended by the fact that the sign writer wrote "Hurricanes and mardi gras! Yee haw!" about Tulane. That's wrong on so many levels.

Tiffers is one of the best punctuation vigilantes on the Apostrophe Catastrophes team. Check out her other contributions here.