Taken inside the airport in Manila (where we took the flight to Cagayan de Oro City), this sign really made my wife and I smile. And the airline that advertised this did not have to go the extra mile.

Walking around the City of Golden Friendship, we noticed a sign badly in need of a hyphen.

And when we observed the signs inside the hotel where we checked in, we noticed the same problem.

Of course, the absence of a hyphen is minor compared to a sign, the name of an organization no less, that is “double-sexist” even if it may not be the intention of its members.

Let’s take a closer look.

This leads you to ask if women are allowed to become members of a brotherhood. What’s wrong with the use of the word businessmen? In my opinion, the word industrialist is more gender-neutral.

At this point, we come to a close, albeit temporarily. And by this time, you should know what’s wrong with our last sign.

This installment, however, does not really come to a close as I promise to present more funny signs from Cagayan de Oro City next week. Thank you for reading!

This sign in front of the Bahay ng Alumni (loose translation: House of Alumni) in the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman leads me to one conclusion.

At UP, we always go Left! We don’t like going Right.

I know, it’s not really funny. But I’m sure you’ll get a chuckle or two after buying this doll.

Yes, these are changing times indeed. The sign below shows that you can mix numbers and letters and come up with a sign, just 4 U!

I hope I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that there is something wrong with a sign that sells pasta and…something!

As regards our next sign, there’s nothing ungrammatical about it. It’s just that the bathroom product has an interesting name.

I can only hope that the person who uses this does not end up looking like a couch potato!

Anyway, writing about couches reminds me of massage tables. In the Philippines, there are massage parlors that offer services beyond giving a massage. I guess this explains the defensive nature of this sign.

Let’s take a closer look at the message.

No need to explain. Just read between the lines!

Our next sign is taken from a tarpaulin which lists some signs of autism. Notice the error in diction?

Yes, the word “interacting” or “playing” should be used instead of “mixing.”

For our last sign, allow me to give another crash course in diction.

The word “persons” is a legal concept and refers to those who are natural (like you and me), juridical (like corporations) or both. In other words, persons could be living or non-living. What is a more accurate word to refer to those who are differently abled? People, of course.

More funny signs (and a few more English lessons) next week. Thank you for reading!

To funny sign makers I ask (with apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning): How do I hate thee? Let me italicize the ways…

The main ingredient of buko pie is buko (coconut). For apple pie, it’s apple. Very obvious, right? So what do you make of this pie?

Unlike our previous sign, I find something funny not with the words but with the graphics.

No chuckles yet? Let’s take a closer look at the gent and lady. Yes, they can’t hold it any longer!

Let’s go back to words now. You won’t find this funny if your brain is not stuffed with English knowledge.

What about this one? Do you see the misspelling?

For our next sign, laughter is reserved only for the Grammar Nazi like me.

Allow me to end this installment of funny signs not with a bang but with a whimper. I still can’t understand why I encounter grammar mistakes like this every day.

More funny signs next week. Thank you for reading!

May birong hindi nakakatawa sa maraming paaralan: Ang wikang Filipino raw ay pang-kubeta na lang.

Malinaw kasi ang nakapaskil sa paligid: English-speaking zone. Bawal magsalita ng sariling wika sa halos lahat ng bahagi ng paaralan – klasrum, opisina, pasilyo, palaruan, aklatan. “Ma’am, may I go out?” Ah, puwede ka nang mag-Filipino habang nakababa ang salawal at sinasagot ang tawag ng kalikasan. Pero kanino ka naman makikipagtalastasan? Puwede mo kayang kausapin ang mga butiki sa loob ng kubeta? Mas matino kaya silang kausap kumpara sa maraming guro’t opisyal na ipinagpipilitan ang malawakang paggamit ng dayuhang wika?

Alam mo na ang kalagayan ng wikang Filipino sa maraming paaralan. Hindi ito kakaiba sa duming itinatapon at pilit na ibinabaon sa limot. Pero hindi tulad ng duming hindi binibigyan ng ikalawang pagtingin, may isang buwan sa bawat taong nagbibigay-pugay ang bansa sa wikang hindi naman mahalaga para sa mga nasa kapangyarihan.

Agosto na naman. Oras nang magbigay ng talumpati ang mahihilig mag-Ingles hinggil sa kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng sariling wika. Ito ang pagkakataong nililinis ang mga lumang tarpaulin na nakalagay ang mga katagang “Buwan ng Wika” at “Mabuhay ang Wikang Filipino!”

Ang dati’y lingguhang selebrasyon ay naging buwanan simula noong 1997. Ipinatupad kasi ang Proklamasyon Blg. 1041 (Nagpapahayag ng Taunang Pagdiriwang Tuwing Agosto 1-31 Bilang Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa) ni dating Pangulong Fidel Ramos. Pagkatapos ng 13 taon, may ibinunga bang maganda ang pagpapahaba ng selebrasyon?

Dahil itinataguyod ang wikang Ingles bilang midyum ng pagtuturo’t komunikasyon, kapansin-pansin ang pabalat-bungang pagpupugay sa wikang Filipino. Ilang beses mo na bang narinig ang gasgas na sipi mula sa tula ng ating pambansang bayani? Ang hindi raw marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa ang amoy sa mabahong isda. Kung ang pamilya ni Rizal ay binabayaran ng piso sa bawat paggamit ng siping ito, siguradong lumalaki ang kita ng mga Rizal tuwing Agosto, ang tinaguriang Buwan ng Wika.

Sa konteksto ng globalisasyon, ano pa ba ang aasahan mo sa kahihinatnan ng wikang Filipino? Patuloy pa rin ang pagbebenta ng ideyang uunlad ang Pilipinas dahil sa kahusayan ng populasyon nito sa paggamit ng wikang Ingles. Ang sistematikong pagpapadala ng mga manggagawa sa ibang bansa ay nagkaroon lang ng kaunting pagbabago. Sa ngayon, nabibigyan na ng oportunidad ang mga mamamayang mahusay sa wikang Ingles na magtrabaho sa sariling lupain.

Ang problema nga lang, kadalasang nagsisimula ang kanilang trabaho sa panahong tulog ang karamihan ng mamamayan. Dahil sa sektor na business process outsourcing (BPO), dumarami ang Pilipinong call center agents na ang pangunahing puhunan sa trabaho ay ang pagtatago ng kanilang identidad, partikular ang pagsasalita ng wikang Ingles nang may American twang.

Sa kaso ng maraming paaralan, hindi ko makita ang lohika ng pagbabawal sa mga estudyanteng gamitin ang sariling wika. Tanggapin man o hindi ng maraming guro’t opisyal, ang mga estudyante’y mas komportableng gamitin ang wikang kinagisnan nila, ang midyum na ginagamit sa pakikipag-usap sa magulang, mga kapatid, kalaro at iba pang kakilala. Dahil nasa ating dugo ang pagiging Pilipino, ang wikang Filipino’y natural na bahagi ng ating katauhan.

Walang kasalanan ang isang estudyanteng nadapa sa harap mismo ng karatulang “English-speaking zone” na mapasigaw ng “Aray” sa halip na “Ouch.” At kapag tinanong mo siya kung ano’ng nararamdaman niya, ano kaya ang kanyang magiging sagot? “Masakit po!” Duda ako sasagutin ka niya ng “It hurts!”

Kung talagang seryoso ang maraming paaralan sa pagpapaunlad ng wikang Filipino, ang unang unang kailangang gawin ng mga guro’t opisyal nito ay tanggalin na ang “English-speaking zones” at hayaan ang mga estudyanteng gamitin ang sariling wika. Kung nais pa rin nilang ituro ang wikang Ingles, posible pa rin naman ito nang hindi napapabayaan ang sariling wika. Kailangan lang ihanay ang wikang Ingles sa iba pang dayuhang wika (tulad ng Nihongo, Mandarin, Kastila at Pranses) at huwag gawing prayoridad ito. At kung nababahala ang mga guro’t opisyal sa kakayahan ng mga estudyanteng gumamit ng wika, ang dapat nilang tutukan ay ang Filipino proficiency sa halip na matakot sa napabalitang bumababang English proficiency.

Malaking hamon para sa mga paaralan ang pagtataguyod ng wikang Filipino kung hindi buwan ng Agosto. Sa kabila ng pagkakaroon ng bagong administrasyon at ang paggamit ni Pangulong Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III ng sariling wika sa kanyang mga pangunahing talumpati (tulad ng kanyang unang State of the Nation Address noong Hulyo 26), kapansin-pansin pa rin ang pagkiling sa paggamit ng wikang Ingles ng mga nasa kapangyarihan. At kung susuriin ang mga polisiya’t programa ng administrasyong Aquino, ang globalistang direksiyon ay halatang halata pa rin.

At dahil ang pagtingin ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ay nasa labas ng bansa, mas binibigyang-diin ang pagpapaunlad ng wikang makakayang makipag-ugnayan sa mga dayuhan. Paano na ang wikang Filipino? Puwede itong kalimutan, maliban na lang kung buwan ng Agosto!

Hindi po biro ang sitwasyong ang wikang Filipino ay tila pang-kubeta na lang sa maraming paaralan, o kahit ilang opisinang pribado’t pampubliko. Huwag na nating hintayin pang pati sa kubeta’y kailangan nang mag-Ingles ang mga tao, lalo na ang ating kabataan.

Walang lugar ang tinaguriang “English-speaking zones” sa isang bansang may sarili namang wika’t nagnanais ng mahigpit na pagkakaisa. Ang paghuhubog ng kaisipan ay epektibong maisasagawa sa pagtataguyod ng Filipino, ang wikang nagmula sa sariling kultura’t malinaw na nagbubuklod sa lahat ng Pilipino.

Anuman ang gawin ng mga nasa kapangyarihan, pilitin man nilang pang-kubeta na lang ang wikang Filipino, hindi nila ito basta-basta maitatapon sa inidoro. Hinding hindi ito maibabaon sa limot hangga’t may mga Pilipinong nakakaalala sa kasaysayan at pakikibaka ng ating bayan.

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If you can identify non-sequitur argument, you would know what’s wrong with this sign a mile away (or a few feet away, depending on your eyesight).

This sign reminds me of an old Filipino joke “Huwag maingay. May naglalaba (Be quiet. Someone’s doing the laundry).” Indeed, one doesn’t follow the other.

There’s nothing wrong with the sign beside it, but don’t you think this is better placed in Congress?

The loose English translation of this sign is “garbage not allowed here.” Why Congress, you ask? Garbage could mean anything (and anybody)!

If the term’s meaning could mean something else, does the same case apply to the word “bottomless”?

In English, the sign reads: “Let’s make our happiness bottomless.” This is an advertisement for a popular iced tea in the Philippines. In Filipino English, the word “bottomless” is synonymous with “unlimited.” A bottomless drink offered in a Filipino restaurant, therefore, means that you can get a refill as many times as your bladder allows. A Filipino may not find the sign above funny, but I’m sure non-Filipinos will find it a bit off, if not amusing. Well, who can blame them?

I’m not sure if many Filipinos know the shortened terms for manicure and pedicure. If they don’t, then this sign could be somewhat funny.

If you’re familiar with the Filipino language, you would know that the word “mani” means peanuts in English. A colloquial, adult-oriented meaning of “mani” is female genitalia. So if you’re green-minded (not of the environmental kind), you would think of something else after reading a sign that sells a service called “mani.”

As regards our next sign, notice that there are three photographed items above.

What does the sign say? Let’s take a closer look.

The loose English translation of this is “Appliance? It’s simple.” This is an advertisement for a bank loan. If you want to be consistent, the word “appliances” should have been used. This is just my opinion, of course, as the sign-maker could argue that he or she refers to an appliance loan.

But whichever way you look at our next sign, this is absolutely wrong and it’s not just a matter of opinion.

As I noted in a previous post, the correct term is “every day.”

For our last sign, the mistake is not easily noticeable. On the surface, one may even credit the sign-maker for being creative.

As you know, a buffet is a system of providing meals where the guests serve themselves. Buffet could also refer to a piece of furniture that has shelves and drawers, normally located at a dining room. The use of the word “buffet” in the context of fashion may be creative, but is there something new to what is being advertised? Isn’t it a given that you have to try on the clothes you want to buy to make sure that they properly fit? What’s the use of advertising “fit all you can” when in fact you’re supposed to be doing it?

More funny signs next week. Thank you for reading!

I wondered aloud as I wandered around: What makes my funny signs project sustainable?

The answer turns out to be simple: The Philippines really has a lot of them! While at a popular mall in Marikina, two things came to mind when I saw this sign.

First, “text lingo” is now beyond SMS and MMS; it can now be seen in the so-called old media, in this case the printed sign.

What’s the second thing? Filipinos can be very creative in marketing their business. Who would have thought that the name of a money changer could be named after a plant that remains green throughout the year? Of course, the word “evergreen” is obviously a creative reference to the almighty, ubiquitous US dollar which is also called the greenback.

So off I went to Evergreen. And then I noticed something wrong. Guess what?

Let’s take a closer look at the problematic phrasing.

Currencies, as we all know, are usually composed of bills and coins. If what Evergreen accepts are foreign currencies and old Philippine coins, then it has to be made clear. The same is true if it accepts all kinds of foreign currencies, including coins (e.g., dollar cents).

For our next funny sign, I have nothing but admiration for the owner of this laundry service. What do you call it again?

As regards the next one, I’m not sure if the owner was drunk when he or she thought of this brand name.

The sign below may lead you to quip: “Surely you can’t be serious!”

I hope the joke won’t be on the poor customer — He or she pawns a 14-karat ring and gets it back after two weeks, 13 karats less. But I’m sure that’s not the intended message of Karat One.

For our last sign, allow me to be a bit political. The country’s unpopular ex-President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, turns out to be very much with us. And it’s not just because she decided to run for Congress in the last election and eventually landed a seat in the House of Representatives. When you go inside a supermarket, you’ll see her initials in the rice section.

Yes, GMA rice can be relatively cheap compared to other brands, which is ironic since the former President’s wealth is reportedly unexplainable.

More funny signs next week. Thank you for reading!

I should start with an apology for being 24 hours late in uploading this installment of funny signs. As you may already know by now, a typhoon hit the Philippines last Tuesday (July 13) resulting in a brownout late that night that hit much of Luzon (one of three island groups in the country, the other two being Visayas and Mindanao).

Marikina City (where my wife and I live) was also hit hard by the typhoon even if Metro Manila was only under Signal Number 1. There were reports of trees, billboards and signs falling due to the strong wind.

Obviously, the wind was not strong enough to add another “s” to this sign.

The province of Quezon was also affected by the typhoon. I wonder if this sign is still standing. Notice what’s wrong with it?

Let’s talk a closer look.

Since this bank is apparently service-oriented, I would like to give this free editorial advice: Please use “microfinance-oriented” instead.

This next sign is a case of “inappropriate abbreviation,” if you get what I mean.

It’s better to just spell out “Pls” because there’s enough space for three more characters in the first line anyway.

For our next sign, we have a case of a “misused hyphen,” and this time you know what I mean.

By this time, you should know the case of a “missing space.”

What about awkward diction? Can you see the wrong word used in the sign below?

Strictly speaking, the word “finds” refers to “a discovery, esp. a valuable or gratifying one.” Not surprisingly, the word is normally used for items found during the digging of trenches or from field-walking, as in the case of an archeological discovery. In the context of fashion, I’m not sure if there’s something to be discovered as most of the fashion-related items are advertised.

When I took a light rail transit (LRT) train to go to a meeting in Makati last July 5, I saw this sign. Did the typhoon blow this away? I hope so.

There’s nothing grammatically wrong with it, but why did the LRT management post this very obvious sign? Spitting in a public place is obviously a sign of bad manners and Filipinos do not need to be reminded of that. If the LRT managers want, they could come up with a rule imposing fines on those caught spitting and remind passengers of that through a sign. But if they prefer to have signs like “No spitting,” they mind as well write the “apparently obvious” (what redundancy!) at LRT stations also:

• Trains don’t arrive on time. Be patient.
• Don’t use your credit card as a train ticket
• Use only Philippine currency
• Speak only in English or Filipino

I also saw this sign at an LRT station.

Loose translation? “Littering is prohibited. Put in the garbage can.” This is a case of awkward sentence construction in Filipino. To remove the awkwardness and provide some politeness, it should read: “Pakilagay sa basurahan ang inyong basura.” Its loose translation is “Please put in the garbage can your garbage.”

For our next sign, we obviously don’t need any translation. Then again, you may want to ask…

…what is the nature of our concern? By the way, is this sign addressed to all passengers or just the janitors?

For our last sign, I am happy to tell you that there are efforts by a few establishments to correct any misspelling.

Notice the deleted “d” at the end? I thank my sister-in-law Francia for this picture, even if she took it at the time when the sign has been corrected.

More funny signs next week. Thank you for reading!

Benigno Simeon Aquino III takes over as president of the Philippines today (June 30). As expected, Filipinos have high expectations that change would finally take place.

To send a clear message that he is different from his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose administration was tainted with numerous scandals and controversies, his media handlers this early decided to endear him to the public by promoting the moniker P.Noy. The latter is short for President Noynoy (Aquino’s nickname) and it could also be interpreted as a pun for “Pinoy” which is slang for male Filipino citizen (a female one is referred to as “Pinay”).

It remains to be seen whether the message of hope will be effectively conveyed to the people. At this point, one can only wish that Aquino’s message won’t be repetitive.

You’re not just stating the obvious if you end up repeating what you said. You might end up being defensive.

Then again, the message should be clear and clean. Aquino’s message could be just like a massage.

Taken somewhere in Malate, Manila (parts of which became notorious as a “red light” district in the past), the business owner saw the need to tell prospective clients that only a massage is given, nothing more (if you get what I mean).

Directness is indeed important, aside from good grammar. That the president of De La Salle University (DLSU), one of the top schools in the country, has been appointed secretary of the Department of Education gives some hope that, at the very least, the signs at the DepEnd would be more grammatical.

I took the picture below at La Salle Green Hills last June 10 when I gave a journalism seminar to selected teachers and administrative staff.

Except for the need to capitalize the letter O in “only,” I cannot find anything wrong with the sign which sends clearly the intended message during the strong typhoon which hit the Philippines in 2009.

Our other sign below, taken in a popular resort in Palawan, also sends a strong message even if it’s inverted.

Yes, people should learn how to read upside down.

Going back to Aquino’s message of hope, I think his anti-corruption campaign should be direct. People should not be made to read between the lines.

Analyze this sign I took at a university in Isabela where I conducted a summer workshop for its teachers last May 28.

What’s that again? Do you understand the call to action?

Fix the fixers? From what I know, you only fix equipment that are broken. It’s awkward to say that you want to fix a person. By the way, you should also know that another definition of fix is to “get even.” Is this what we want to do with fixers?

If you want to maintain the alliteration in the sign, the message should read: “Fight the fixers.”

Or if you want your message to somewhat rhyme, you might consider this: “Nix the fixers.” Then again, the word “nix” which means reject may be a bit hard to understand.

One could learn a thing or two about the directness of messages of traffic signs at the University of the Philippines (UP) where I currently teach. Of course, there are some weaknesses.

As regards the sign above, the phrase “construction work” would suffice so we could drop the “s” already. My preference, however, is to change the phrase to “ongoing construction.”

Of course, the message could be more effective if a specific timeframe were included. Up to when is the particular gate closed? The only thing the sign says is that the gate has been closed since June 10.

But even if specific times are indicated in the sign, one should not confuse motorists because of the wrong font size.

It would be better to make the font for “OPEN” smaller so that it doesn’t compete with the “NO ENTRY” warning. Besides, the times below has a smaller font and it’s not as if a motorist can read them from afar.

When I was in Indonesia, I noticed this sign at the departure area of the airport. Do you notice what’s wrong with this?

There’s nothing ungrammatical here, but the second sentence is unnecessary because it’s already stating the obvious. The green-minded would even think of other things that a passenger should “use” before boarding the plane.

In my last travel to Vietnam in 2008, I noticed this sign inside the store.

I wonder why the letter A is capitalized while the letter P is not. To the credit of the sign-maker, at least the word “stock” is used as a collective noun.

I don’t think the Vietnamese manufacturer should be blamed for the brand of cigarette it sells.

For those who don’t understand the Filipino language, “bastos” means indecent or uncouth. I therefore doubt if President Aquino would smoke this kind of cigarette.

Going back to the moniker P.Noy, the name really makes a difference promoting a good image. In this respect, the Aquino administration is on the right track.

I can’t say the same though for a community group that meant well in the past to organize a dance club. What’s the name of the group?

Yes, you’re cursed if you have a name that means “idiot.”

I guess that’s one of the many challenges of the Aquino administration: How do you avoid people from calling the President names like Abnoynoy (i.e., Abnoy is Filipino slang for abnormal). Of course, the practical answer there is to do well and fulfill the promise of meaningful change in the next six years.

That’s all for now. More funny signs next week!

Let’s start with a rumor. Former US Vice President Al Gore now resides in Manila! My wife jokingly said this when she asked me to read this sign at the entrance of a popular mall.

I know it’s not your usual “funny sign” but the joke is there, right? It took me a while to get it though. By the way, Al Gore wasn’t in Manila for a concert. Right now, he’s not just a former White House official but also a global environmentalist.

A photo developing center somewhere in Malate, Manila has something in common with Al Gore because it is not just…

Is it just me, or is the owner guilty of stealth advertising? Anyway, Adobe should be thankful for the (free?) advertisement.

Talking about the marketing of goods, it would help owners to refrain from using “new arrival” or “new arrivals” when promoting their new products.

Why? Arrival is defined as “the act of arriving” or “the accomplishment of an objective.” That is why you have an “arrival area” at airports for arriving passengers. Going back to our funny sign, the sign should read: “New items” or “New products” if you want to be more direct.

In order to know the minor mistake in our next sign, you should be eagle-eyed.

Yes, we want to be born free in a society that is, among others, nuclear-free and smoke-free. Or, in the case of the Philippines, Gloria-free! As you may already know from your English grammar lessons, the adjectival use of compound words usually requires the use of a hyphen.

For our next sign, there’s actually nothing grammatically wrong with it. It just sends a confusing message.

Again, if you want to be more direct, just use this phrasing: “We use purified water.” As it is, the sign above gives the impression that whoever serves the drinks always brings with him or her purified water. Remember the cardinal rule in restaurant management: Always serve with pleasure, not with water.

Unlike the previous one, our next sign is very direct in its message. The buffet is only for paying customers who do not share their food. What happens if you do?

What? You will be charged double, and in addition to that there will be left-overs thrown at you? Oh, wait. The sign should read: “We charge double if your plate has left-overs.” An alternative sign could be: “No left-overs please or you will pay double.”

You know that just like other countries in Asia, the Philippines is a rice-eating country. That would explain why we have so many kinds of rice to choose from. It’s ironic, however, that the Philippines has become a rice-importing country. Is it safe to assume that this rice comes from Japan?

Whether or not it comes from Japan, it cannot be denied that a popular fastfood chain that serves Japanese food has this sign to promote the unlimited supply of rice for customers’ chosen meals.

This is clearly an example of pun, without making “pun” of Filipinos. In case you’re not familiar with the Filipino language, “kanin” means cooked rice. The use of the hyphen is obviously aimed to highlight the pun.

As regards our next sign, the one responsible for it should try to review the proper use of prepositions.

What’s that again? The food you bought outside cannot be brought in into the restaurant? Why not just have a sign that reads: “Food and drinks bought outside the restaurant not allowed.”

Our next sign delivers a clear message, even if it ends up using a non-existent word.

Is there such a thing as left-by? Is it related to right-of? Or maybe its parents are top-in and bottom-out? This word reminds me of another word in Filipino English: BOTTOMLESS!

At this point, allow me to put to a close our installment of “funny signs.” Sorry, we’re closed.

Yes, I mean it. We’re already closed.

If you’re Al Gore, I know you but you definitely don’t know me. In other words, we’re not close!

Goodbye and come back for more funny signs next week.

The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) wants to purge the so-called jejemon mentality by “strongly discouraging” the use of jejespeak in formal and informal communication.

Of course, the DepEd officials mean well because they want to develop the students’ command of the language.

Just what is a jejemon and how can one distinguish jejespeak? The sign below is good example of how a so-called jejemonster uses (or misuses) upper and lower cases and gets preoccupied with Zs.

Of course, you cannot immediately conclude that a jejemon is responsible for all the funny signs in the Philippines, including the one above, as well as this one below.

Yes, we should maintain donations so that the sign maker can raise enough money to change the sign.

I know that jejespeak uses a combination of numbers, letters and upper and lower cases. But believe me that a jejemon is somewhat familiar with the letter H. I suppose this sign was not made by a jejemon.

Then again, we couldn’t be so sure, right? For all we know, a grammatically-challenged legislator is the one who made the sign below. I have this “nagging suspicion” because legislative sessions are normally scheduled from Monday to Thursday.

Anyway, you have no business selling goods or providing services if you don’t know the spelling of business in the first place. Besides, an 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. shift means that you have business hours. And what’s with the lack of “00″ after “9:”? Did the sign-maker intend to include an emoticon here?

The error in this sign below is a bit tricky.

In this sign, the word “supplies” should have been used, unless the business establishment is selling only one particular product (i.e., supply).

The wrong spelling in this sign is very evident if you’re familiar with the Filipino language.

If you would allow me to edit this sign, it should read: “Bawal magtapon ng basura dito (loose translation: Throwing of garbage here is prohibited).” Yes, the sign-maker tried to fit big letters in a relatively limited space.

Going back to the DepEd’s plan to discourage jejespeak, education officials should consider promoting to students and teachers the use of “predictive text input” in sending text messages. It’s very evident that text lingo has already found its way in other forms of media, particularly print.

I know what you’re about to say: Y r u so min? (Why are you so mean?) The answer is simple: I’m not fairest of them all!

You’re the one with the problem if you can’t see what’s wrong with our next sign.

For our last sign, we should all be reminded to avoid dividing long words. Even if the hyphenation is correct, one finds something funny when the word “trespassing” becomes “tres passing.”

Does this mean I can pass by this private property twice but never thrice?

More funny signs next week. Feel free to drop by not just once!