Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Amusing signs

I saw a sign that said, "Door Alarmed". I felt the need to comment on this. I have read Eats, Shoots and Leaves. And I appreciate fully that good grammar allows us to communicate clearly - something that I think most people lose sight of. I also understand that there are times when shortcuts are expedient and as long as
everyone understands - it's fine.

But there are those signs that in their attempt to utilize word efficiency lead to confusion. Such as, "Door Alarmed". Because it raises the question. What has alarmed the door? Is it afraid of us. Will it be leaving in fear? Should I be watching the door carefully for sudden movements? Now I suspect what they may have been trying to say was, "Door has alarm". And I guess they felt that those extra
three letters (and accompanying spaces) would interfere to greatly with the expediency of the message.