That's right - the misplaced comma.
I mean, honestly. If you're going to whack a twelve-metre-long billboard advertising male sniffy-stiffy spray up at the one of the busiest crossroads in Brisbane, you could at least have the courtesy of using correct punctuation.
In this case, Men: "Do It" Longer or Men - "Do It" Longer would be more appropriate. And while we're at it - let's drop those ridiculous quotation marks around the "do it" as well, huh?
If you can't be trusted with the Queen's English, then how the hell are you to be trusted with the flaccid members of Brisbane's impotent?
Why is that incorrect? It's like if I said "Natalie, do up your shoelaces!" - is that a misplaced comma as well? It's a comma between the person being spoken to, and the instructions.
ReplyDeleteNumber 10 on this page ("the 10 uses of commas") - http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/22944.aspx?p=2
"Use commas to separate direct addresses. For example:
Please clean the kitchen, Oliver.
Mr. Johnson, what time is the meeting?"
From a grammatical point of view both the comma or colon could be used. It all depends on how much emphasis you want to put on the word "Men". The more dramatic pause (ie the more important the word before the pause) comes from a colon. A comma denotes a shorter pause.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.buzzin.net/english/commas.htm
perhaps the comma is used in this instance as a emoticon - it looks a bit like something dangling off the end of men
ReplyDeleteLet's face it. The last thing men reading this are going to care about is punctuation. Are they? Something also tells me it wasn't one of the more cultured members of our society who was responsible for the whole sad idea in the first place.
ReplyDeleteTee hee... "sniffy-stiffy spray". Love it!
ReplyDeleteGo to: www.stephenfry.com
ReplyDeleteClick on Video Audio.
Listen to the podcast on language.
Repeat.
What worries me is the nasal delivery technology. If that's how they want you to 'do it' I suspect they're 'doing it' wrong.
ReplyDeleteDr Yobbo
Not one of the doctors from the 'Advanced Medical Institute' (who makes these names up?)
"Either way, men."
ReplyDelete"Get it upya."
My God I thought I was back in high school.
And, believe me, that was a very long time ago
I find the ads themselves offensive, can't wait for them to go.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, like commas.
ReplyDeleteAs, Moko, do, I. A little, too much, perhaps,?
ReplyDelete