Category: Spelling - Reading the Signs

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The Highest Standards – but not of Proofreading

16/9/2018

Canopies – with a Kinsale accent

I remember reading that it was the writer’s responsibility as to spelling. The sub-editor’s responsibility did not extend that far.

Last week, I showed a printer of commercial signs some of the errors that gave rise to blog pages hereabout. As well as smiles and even a laugh, I did receive a response that the proof is always sent to the customer to check.

Just like builders, dry cleaners and barbers, it is the skill of the seamstress or garment maker rather than their proofreading ability that concerns most…….

Closing the Gates on the Irish Language

2/9/2018

This morning I spotted a tweet about the closing time at the Regional Park in Ballincollig being brought back an hour with the start of September.

My Irish vocabulary is not huge but the use of ‘geatí’ did look odd. The web confirmed that it was incorrect – ‘geataí’ being the plural of ‘geata’.

In my real life, as opposed to this virtual life, I have spoken with the official translator at Cork County Council, so am aware that she exists, or at least existed. I was very very surprised to read that only a month ago the Irish Examiner revealed that Cork County Council used Google Translate as a translation service – definitely not fit for that purpose I would have thought.

The dogs needed a walk this afternoon so we headed to the Powdermills so that I could take my own photograph of ‘Geatí’.

Within yards of the closing time sign, there is another notice regarding the locking of the gates. This uses ‘Geataí’ – curiouser and curiouser…..

We were far away yesterday but….

13/8/2018

I spotted this message a few weeks back.

With the door open, it was obvious that some building work was being carried out. Having been in the shop a few times, I knew that English was not the first language of all. I fully understood the message that was intended to be conveyed, but that did not stop me smiling at the actual message.

Maybe I have been looking at signs for too long or in too much detail…..

Proof-reader Needed

2/6/2018

Maybe ‘a’ scarpered at the last emergency and was unable to be reinstated with’a’, ‘r’ and ‘e’.

Or maybe not…….

Accepting with Age - maybe.....

23/12/2017

This was on the noticeboard of the city library a few weeks back.

I did wonder as to the survey…..

Whether one of the questions was how to spell ‘P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-E’……

Whether one of the objectives was to measure tolerance for spelling and grammatical issues as one aged – may be there is hope for me yet

Stealing The Eye Out Of Your Head

13/4/2017

Or should I say, ‘Stealing the ‘I’ from your alarm system’.

I spotted this van this morning on the way for my coffee fix.

I first wondered if ‘NTRUDER’ was a branded alarm system. Then I noted that ‘INTRUDER’ was printed elsewhere on the vehicle.

I walked on smiling in admiration at the person who stole from a security company.

The Lord Is My Shepard

21/3/2017

Sunday afforded me the chill out opportunity to visit St. Colman’s Cemetery in Cobh. My search for the headstone carved and engraved by Seamus Murphy was successful.

I stopped my search as I passed this grave.

I even paused as to how the word was actually spelled. I pondered the second ‘h’ but remained convinced that there was definitely no ‘a’.

Did the engraver, seller, or buyer pause at the spelling?

Was it sold cheaply as seller was aware of how to spell ‘Shepherd’?

Maybe I need to take more chill-out time and let these spelling issues pass me by – although I suspect that is just the way I was made and will not change.

To Err is Human

22/10/2016

'To', 'Two' & 'Too' are not probably as deadly as Live, Earth & Neutral

Many thanks to NK who spotted this on his recent trip to the U.K.. He, correctly thought it would spark an interest hereabouts.

Once again, the construction sector confirms that spelling and building are not natural bedfellows.

Variations on a Con

13/9/2016

Abbeystrowry, Skibbereen

Castlehaven, Skibbereen

Con, Connie, Cornelia and Neilus – I have met at least one person with each these names on my journeys about this planet.

I do not think that I have ever met a ‘Cornelious’ but some of those who I addressed as ‘Cornelius’ may have been silently offended at my assumption as to the spelling of their name.

When I spotted this headstone at Abbeystrowry Cemetery earlier, my first thought was that it was an unusual spelling – one that I had not seen previously. My crossword brain then kicked in thinking that words ending in ‘ious’ are generally adjectives – devious, previous, conscious…

Reading down the headstone, it appears that ‘Cornelious’ was a popular name in a branch of the McCarthy clan.

There are many names that demand clarification as to spelling when first introduced to the nameholder – Ahern/Aherne; Mahony/ O’Mahony/ O’Mahoney (generally leads to a soup discussion); and, Isobel/Isabel/Isabelle.

Cornelius/ Cornelious has now been added to that list.

It's Its

26/8/2016

set on it's own grounds

A few friends have counselled that I need to curb my tendency to point out errors of spelling and grammar – not that such counsel may come back to bite me, that has happened and I survived intact, more a fear of resulting in a punch to the nose.

I have been in The Firgrove Hotel in Mitchelstown very many times – convenient half-way for Cork/Limerick meetings (I spotted Munster Rugby there a few times) and decent food on the road home.

I have passed through the entrance lobby often. I cannot recall this sign previously. Last week was my first time reading it – also first time noticing its existence so maybe new.

I just had to return to reception to point out the sign. There ensued a discussion as to ‘it’ and the use of apostrophe – only when shortening of ‘it is’ or 'it has' and not denoting possession.

Thankfully I left without adjustment to my facial configuration.

Awfully Offaly

18/8/2016

I wonder if I have spent too much time looking at signs. I did not spot anything wrong with this when photographing, admittedly from the other side of the road – that happened only when reviewing the photographs from my trip to Tullamore recently.

I like the script for the streetnames as gaeilge but there appeared to be a fada missing - Uíbh Fhailí.

I did check with logainm.ie who confirmed that they have no record of an Offally St but do have for Offaly St. – which does translate as Sráid Uíbh Fhailí.

I cannot be the first person to have spotted this particular spelling.

I wonder if there is a story to its name or maybe the signmaker may have wished to be a BIFFO…

Another Extention

19/7/2016

I suspect that there is only one ‘word’ who has provided a source for four separate blogs – that ‘word’ being ‘extention’.

This van was spotted in Tralee – so that makes two Kerry builders and two from Cork leading the campaign for an alternative spelling of ‘extension’ to be included in the dictionaries.

I promise that any future blogs on extension will include more than one ‘extention’ – so may take a while.

Making a Balls of it

1/7/2016

BALLUSTRADE - BALUSTRADE

Yet again, the construction sector comes up trumps – signwriting on a van demanding another blog entry.

For once, my three online dictionaries are in agreement and I am standing behind the same balustrade.

Some words are pronounced differently in Cork to elsewhere - committee (or ‘comet’ ‘tee’) being one. It may be that Carrigtwohill is striking out and starting its own spelling regime.

Or maybe it is just a balls-up.

Taking Stock

29/6/2016

‘Stocktake’ had been filed away in my vocabulary as one word, not two ‘Stock Take’.

A few months back, Golden Discs questioned my understanding. Once again, the online dictionaries are not totally at one.

Collins is definite as to one word, ‘stocktake’. If there are two words, it is ‘take stock’. Chambers does not like either – no listing for ‘stock take’ or ‘stocktake’. Macmillan is similar but does have an entry for ‘stocktaking’.

Once again, proof that words and their usage are forever changing…

The Way of Moss

18/6/2016

MacMillan prefers Mossy to Mossey, which is does not list. Microsoft Word also objects to Mossey.

Chambers and Collins, similarly list Mossy but do not have an entry for Mossey.

Mossie or Moss, or even Mossy, have been met as shortenings of Maurice.

Until I was in Telford last month, I had never read of ‘Mossey’ but even now I am unsure if it is an adjective or whether it refers to a Mr. Green….