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Usa"Taking it to the streets and correcting America, onewell-placed comma at a time":these are the fightingwords of Kate McCulley,also known as "the grammarvandal" in her blog (www.thegrammarvandal.com). Thehobby of the 23-year-old is correcting signs of businessesall over Boston. Using comma stickers and a big blackpen, she adds punctuation and changes spelling in orderto give public messages their correct meaning.
For example,"eye exams contact lenses" in a shopsign requires something, such as a comma, to separate itselements. "Have fun this is an adult candy store" needshelp, too, such as an exclamation point after fun and aperiod at the end. After all, who would want to miss out?
But isn't correcting signs a bit of an uphill battle? Notat all, says McCulley. She told The Boston Globe that signsshould, as a minimum, not be confusing.
Abbreviations used in e-mail—such as LOL for"laughing out loud" and BRB for "be right back"—bother her, too.It's better to just write these things out,she says.Her motto:"Twice as long, twice as right!"
For example,"eye exams contact lenses" in a shopsign requires something, such as a comma, to separate itselements. "Have fun this is an adult candy store" needshelp, too, such as an exclamation point after fun and aperiod at the end. After all, who would want to miss out?
But isn't correcting signs a bit of an uphill battle? Notat all, says McCulley. She told The Boston Globe that signsshould, as a minimum, not be confusing.
Abbreviations used in e-mail—such as LOL for"laughing out loud" and BRB for "be right back"—bother her, too.It's better to just write these things out,she says.Her motto:"Twice as long, twice as right!"