I saw this sign at an event I was attending recently. “Complementary” means something that completes or makes perfect (which a massage always does for me, but that’s not what they mean here). “Complimentary” means free of charge (which IS what they mean here).
A friend found this on our recent trip to Memphis in a restroom. Sometimes it isn’t an error in words that makes a Grammar Giggle. Sometimes it is an error in direction. While this sign tells you to use the hand dryer on the right, the hand dryer is actually on the left. Some good citizen tried to change the arrow direction, which only made me giggle more.
While I’ve written about reflexive pronouns before (https://proofthatblog.com/2012/11/26/me-myself-and-i/), it is important enough that some of it bears repeating.
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns and other pronouns. Personal pronouns are what we will be talking about here and they indicate the person speaking, the person spoken to, or the person or object spoken of. It is the I, you, me, they, he, she, it of English. You typically choose the pronoun based on the person it is replacing. For instance:
The challenge comes with reflexive pronouns, which are pronouns that end in -self and reflect back on the pronoun previously mentioned. For example:
What is NOT correct is using the reflexive pronoun alone–without it being able to reflect back on the pronoun. So, for instance, saying:
is not correct because in both places. Myself has nothing in the sentence to reflect back to. It should be:
Further examples are:
As for when to choose me and when to choose I, a little bit of adjusting and testing will make it easier to make the correct choice. For instance, in the sentences above:
I hope all this makes it easier for you to use the proper reflexive pronouns when you’re talking about yourself (see what I did there?). Otherwise, I will continue to bang my head against the wall at hearing “myself” used inappropriately.
Sunday, March 9, marks the beginning of daylight saving time throughout most of the 
United States. Being an Arizona native, I remember when we tried daylight saving time here. It’s tough to put a kid to bed when the sun is bright overhead. Arizona has not observed daylight saving time for many years, but that’s not the intended topic.
You may have noted that in the paragraph above it was daylight saving time NOT daylight savings time. Singular “saving” is correct. The proper way to indicate the time for the different time zones during daylight saving time is:
EDT – Eastern daylight time
CDT – Central daylight time
MDT – Mountain daylight time
PDT – Pacific daylight time
That designation indicates that the specified time is during daylight saving time in the specific time zone. For instance, 3:00 p.m. MDT would be 3:00 in the afternoon in Denver (and other cities in the Mountain time zone) on dates between March 9, 2014, and November 2, 2014 (the date range when daylight saving time is in effect this year). The other part of the year is standard time and would be designated as:
EST – Eastern standard time
CST – Central standard time
MST – Mountain standard time
PST – Pacific standard time
An alternative is to eliminate the specific designation altogether and use these terms year-round:
ET – Eastern time
CT – Central time
MT – Mountain time
PT – Pacific time
While we’re talking about time, the difference between a.m. and p.m. is important. The designation “a.m.” stands for the Latin term ante meridiem and means the time from midnight to noon. The designation “p.m.” stands for the Latin term post meridiem and means the time from noon to midnight. While people seem to grasp that concept, the exact times of midnight and noon seems to confuse them. The time 12:00 a.m. is midnight (it is between midnight and noon) and 12:00 p.m. is noon. Note that 11:59 at night is 11:59 p.m. because it is between noon and midnight. It is always good to confirm whether the a.m. or p.m. is correct so people don’t think an event is 12 hours earlier or later than intended.
To those of you who will “spring forward” this weekend, enjoy it and keep the time straight so others know exactly what time you are talking about.
A friend sent this to me. When you start your own business, it is really important to advertise that business using business cards that are professional and reflect your personality and your qualifications. This error is inexcusable.
I was recently looking up some information on the State Bar of Arizona website looking for groundbreaking women attorneys in Arizona for potential speaking engagements. As I read through them all, I noticed that two words completely changed one sentence. Lisa Loo is the first Asian American WOMAN PRESIDENT of the State Bar, not the first Asian American of the State Bar. Those two words make quite a difference.
While trying to earn my country certification at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, I saw this screen:
It should be “Collaborations.”
A blog reader sent this to me from her local newspaper. This is another example of people not reading headlines–or headings in legal documents. And if you have the Word setting turned on to not check words in all caps, turn that off right now! That will help you find errors in headings and important documents that use all caps for titles.
If you find something that is Grammar Giggle-worthy, take a picture and send it to [email protected].
Menus are a great place for finding Grammar Giggles. Here is a great example. This is another issue with an apostrophe and an issue with using “compliment,” which means to praise someone, and “complement,” which means to add something that enhances or improves it. While I’m sure they want you to COMPLIMENT them on all their food, I think they mean that it enhances all of their food.
A reader shared this from a sign in an airport. This is something that spell check or reviewing quickly will not find because the word is not misspelled–it’s just the wrong word. But she did say that the “thing” actually sliced up an excellent sandwich!
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