Friday 22 August 2014

Something else which really annoys me...

… is the really poor grammar which the anti-smoking lobby uses.

Exhibit A


Wrong. Smoking is forbidden "on" these premises, not "in".

Exhibit B


Wrong again. "Smoking can" is white and "damage the sperm" is red, then "and" is white again, leading you to assume that this is a list of things which smoking "can" do.

In which case it should end with "decrease fertility", not "decreases fertility". Alternatively, the word "can" should be red.

6 comments:

Ian Hills said...

Plus "smoking can damage the sperm" sounds like there's only one of them.

Lola said...

Pedants corner. But it does my ed in two.

Mark Wadsworth said...

IH, yes, good point.

TheFatBigot said...

It is illegal to smoke within buildings that are statutorily designated "smoke-free" by the Health Act 2006. But it is not illegal to smoke outside buildings.

"On these premises" covers the whole of the premises, including outdoor areas, and does not represent the law. "In these premises" reflects that illegality is associated with engaging in the prohibited activity within buildings only. So I say "in" is appropriate.

I did smoking warnings a few years ago: http://thefatbigot.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/id-rather-have-throat-rot-than-be-lied.html

Mark Wadsworth said...

TFB, fair point, in which case why not say "in this building", if "premises" was the wrong word to start with? You've just made me hate it even more.

Bayard said...

The signs probably originally said "on" and then TFB, or one of his brothers in law made the point above and so they changed one letter rather than three words.