The Language Cop on the Supermarket Beat

By on April 6, 2009 10:02 pm in Miscellany

jsw_img_6034_edited-1Montague Street Key Food: wrong.

jsw_img_6033_edited-1Trader Joe’s: right.

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  • Jessica

    As a journalism professor often reminded us: “fewer turds, less shit”

  • AEB

    Yeah, the confusion in the top example probably had to do with the placement of the adjective–AFTER as opposed to before the noun, and separated by “or.” Thus making it seem less adjectival.

    Or is the issue plain unconsciousness of the difference between “fewer” and “less”?

  • CJP

    Grammar is the least of Key Food’s worries.

  • No One Of Consequence

    The only thing that springs to mind are these 3 letters… “WFC”

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    NOOC: “WFC”–Wisconsin Fried Chicken?

  • jiker

    key foods on montague is terrible

  • nabeguy

    Claude, I think that’s “who f’ing cares?” although I suspect you may be making some kind of reference to the whole Obama Fried Chicken brouhaha.

  • David on Middagh

    “X items or less” has become idiomatic and is perfectly clear. Has everyone lost their mind?

    (Don’t bother complaining that “everyone” takes a singular pronoun. Clearly, it doesn’t always, and this has been true for hundreds of years.)

  • Neighborhood Observer

    CS – Keep posting your great photos and stories. You enliven the blog. An English lesson now and then is probably healthy for all of us long out of school.

  • Andrew Porter

    For a Really Long Time (years?) Key Food had a sign which said, “Welcome to Brookly Heights”. About 6 months ago, they added a very small “n” to it.

  • The Where

    GrammAr Mrs. Fink, only Kelsey applies to the alternate.