Punctuation Peeves - this one never gets old
A barkeep named Jake is schooling drivers in Las Vegas
Is it really a “peeve” if I enjoy it so much?
Yes, because the examples I enjoy are the intentional ones. The unintentional ones are just cringey. Unless they are curated for comic impact, of course.1
I’ve been in Las Vegas helping my daughter recover from a hip injury (and some other more mysterious health issues) this week. While driving her back from a doctor’s appointment, I noticed a particularly cringey comma faux pas on a marquee —until I got close enough to see the rest of it! I laughed aloud and made a couple of U-turns so that I could capture this photo to share with you:
Jake, I regret to say that I will probably never attend your class on how to cook, crack, and clean crabs properly, but I will always remember that you cared enough about punctuation to school your Las Vegas neighbors and clientele (and anyone who drives past your fine establishment) in the critical importance of commas. And you cared enough to make it entertaining, too.
But I will happily advertise your culinary class for you here. ;-)
And I fully intend to stop by sometime for a drink, and hopefully to meet you in person!
The best-known (and cliché) example is “Let’s eat Grandma // Let’s eat, Grandma // Commas save lives!” but memes abound in the defense of the Oxford Comma
Hilarious.