An "Unnecessary" Shout Out
Fun, language October 22nd, 2007Today I’m giving a hearty shout-out to one of my favorite blogs, The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. The blog’s brainchild, Bethany Keeley, documents the needless double quote marks that wind up transforming an everyday phrase into a seemingly disingenuous one. One example shows an East India Tea & Coffee LTD bag labeled Old Fashioned Sassafras Herbal "Tea." It may be tea, or it may not be tea. Inquiring minds want to know.
It took about a month, but I was able to find a sign with unnecessary quotes, take a snapshot and send it in. It’s from a catering business near the Allentown (Pa.) Fairgrounds. She posted it on Saturday.
If you want to see more like it, check out her blog. It’s a really "enjoyable" read. Wink wink.
Stumble it!
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:49 am
i thought i was the only one who is disturbed by unnecessary quotation marks. it’s so funny how people use them! it’s almost as annoying as misplaced abbreviation marks. anyway, “cool post”.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am
@ Amy — ApostropheAbuse.com is another site you might like. Check it out!
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:52 am
Yeah, it’s really “annoying” when do that. I had “fun” on Sunday. =)
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:01 am
@ Regan — Ditto. Good times, except for when Stinky went “missing.”
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I “love” this site! So glad you gave it a shout-out. Now I’m on a mission to find a funny example to submit. Maybe I can go back to the beer garden/restaurant that served “potato” salad. Wonder what it was really made of…
October 23rd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
@ J.D. — I almost always have my camera on me. I’m also now looking for incorrect uses of an apostrophe, so I can send to ApostropheAbuse.com.
I don’t know why I didn’t start looking for them first. That’s much more common, me thinks.
Mmmmm…. “potato” salad. So quotey!
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Please do NOT send her my way. I’m guessing you’ll easily find at least one of these “unnecessary” references in every one of my posts. There, I just did it again! GAH!
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:07 pm
@ Jeff — I don’t know. You’re both rubbing elbows in my blogroll. She’s bound to find you.
It’ll be fine. All your quotes are necessary 🙂
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
That’s “hilarious!” What bothers me are gratuitous apostrophes. The businesses in my home twon:
Maggie’s Coiffure’s
Kitchen’s Kounter’s
There are so many things wrong with that second one I don’t quite know where to begin.
I can understand misusing an apostrophe in a quick note or a myspace bulletin, but on a business sign???
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Marie — I quite agree. Businesses should know better. Actually, the SIGN makers should know better. I wonder if they suggest to business owners that they might want to hang a correctly-punctuated sign. Plus, wouldn’t it cost them LESS for a sign if it didn’t have all those quotes and apostrophes that don’t belong??