Running Out of Patients

The psych major in me thinks that perhaps the person who posted this sign in a coffee shop in DC secretly wants to be a doctor.



If so, he or she would have to append modifier CR to this sign. Yes, I just made a medical coding joke. I may have hit a new low.

Thanks to Amy for sending in this catastrophe!

Doctor's Office Catastrophe

Clare sent in this horrifyingly bad sign that she spotted at her pediatrician's office.


Regardless of your political views, I think we can all agree that this sign is in need of health care reform. The bad grammar and horrendous clip art might actually give someone a heart attack.

Thanks, Clare!

P.S. Apostrophe Catastrophes has had a facebook group for a while, but now we have a page. Not sure what the difference is, but you should like us and/or join the group.

Scary Movie Apostrophe Catastrophe

In the context of Scary Movie 4, this punctuation error may be intentional.


We can't expect a serial killer to use proper punctuation, right? Regardless, the whole referencing-previous-bad-movies-so-we-don't-have-to-try-to-actually-make-a-good-movie thing seems kind of lazy. Can Hollywood try to have an original idea for once? I'll stick with watching the Colbert Report on DVR, as you can see from this photo.

Apostrophe Catastrophe from Singapore

Nicholina, whom I originally called David in this posting (sorry!), sent in this apostrophe catastrophe all the way from Singapore:


Isn't that punishable by caning?

Thanks to Nicholina for making me feel world famous. Check out her previous Apostrophe Catastrophes submission here.

Take-out Pizza Catastrophe

Last fall, Jason noticed this sign at Mara Villas restaurant in Medford, New Jersey:


He e-mailed the company to report the error and they claimed that the sign would be corrected before it was rehung in the spring.

Anyone want to drive over there to check to see if they've fixed the sign?

Thanks, Jason!

San Francisco Happy Hour Apostrophe Catastrophe

The Castro on a Sunday afternoon feels like an alternate universe in which everyone is attractive and stylish and goes dancing after brunch. But apparently afternoon cocktails may interfere with proper punctuation and spelling.


Much like the diversity of San Francisco, this sign has it all: an apostrophe catastrophe, a random closed parentheses, a misspelling, spacing issues, and inconsistent use of exclamation points.

It's raining catastrophes! Hallelujah!

Magners St. Patrick's Day Catastrophe

Magners is so sweet that it makes me [sic].


And so did that pun. Sorry, readers. Anyway, this cider was originated by one man named Magner but does not include an apostrophe in its branding, nor in reference to St. Patrick's Day! Sacrilege!

Three more days till Boston's favorite holiday!

Happy National Grammar Day!

Today is National Grammar Day! I told my coworker Paul that I needed to go out and celebrate, and he said, "Go out and drink yourself into a comma."

If you do decide to have a party for National Grammar Day, don't decorate using this disco ball:


The apostrophe catastrophe(s)* on the box are a party foul.

* Party's is definitely wrong by any standards, but according to some style guides, DJ's would be OK.

Thanks to Liv for sending in this catastrophe! Happy Friday, everyone!

Smile: You're on Apostrophe Catastrophes!

Joe found this grammatically incorrect sign in Saskatoon.


Oh, Canada...

Thanks, Joe!

The Only Girl in the World

Melissa, who sent me this badly punctuated sign from a public high school, certainly did her research.


She entered the bathroom and reported that it has 12 stalls, so the apostrophe in girl's is officially misplaced.

Thanks, Melissa!

T-Pain Tattoo Catastrophe

Signature9 reports that T-Pain recently got a tattoo of the Facebook "Like" button.


This both fascinates and horrifies me for many reasons. But let's just ignore the fact that the tattoo is hideous and will be relevant for a maximum of two years and instead focus on its punctuation error.

A little piece of advice for you readers out there: If you can use the word "zeitgeist" in regards to your tattoo, don't go under the needle. I am confident that whoever invents a cheaper and more effective tattoo-removal technology in the next few years will be rolling in money. And when it happens, I'll say, "I knew it was T-Pain."

This blog posting is dedicated to my friend Jeremy. He was about to send me a link to a news story about T-Pain's tattoo, but I sent it to him first.

Catastrophe Rainbow --- What Does It Mean?

Vicki's brother bought this catastrophic can of mints in Hawaii:


It's only blurry because your'e drunk.

Thanks, Vicki!

World Series / AT&T Catastrophe

Many of us are suffering from a bit of winter malaise, so I thought it might be nice to post a baseball-related apostrophe catastrophe. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training just one month from today!


In this context, its should not have an apostrophe in it. Shame on AT&T.

Thanks to Katie for sending me this apostrophe catastrophe way back in October!

Highway Blizzard Catastrophe

Based on the latest weather predictions, we might see a lot of signs like this in Boston tomorrow.


Thanks to my friend Stephanie for sending in this triple error that she spotted on her commute on I-93. Apostrophe catastrophe plus spelling error plus random plural? This may be one of the worst ones ever!

Readers, please be careful driving!

That's the Breaks

Happy New Year, everyone! Leah spotted this apostrophe catastrophe/spelling error at a body shop in Evanston, Illinois:


The Break Inn could be a lovely name for a B&B.

Thanks, Leah!