Seven bar jokes involving grammar and punctuation
by Eric K. Auld
1. A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.
2. A dangling modifier walks into a bar. After finishing a drink, the bartender asks it to leave.
3. A question mark walks into a bar?
4. Two quotation marks “walk into” a bar.
5. A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to drink.
6. The bar was walked into by the passive voice.
7. Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They drink. They leave.
And if you're not sure when "also" is a better word choice than "too," check out this cautionary tale. (Helps if you know some rudimentary chemistry.)
Source: Hermant Parkhe
What has tickled your funny bone recently?
Categories: grammar and mechanics, just for fun
Funny. I take it H2O2 should not be consumed. :)
ReplyDeleteReally cute. Thanks for the smiles!
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ReplyDeleteI love #6! Who doesn't love a good grammar joke?
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I'm taking a grammar class. Must pass it on to the teacher.
ReplyDeleteHa! I read the above jokes on another site earlier today, but the comic is new to me. Thanks for the laughs!
ReplyDeleteAh, he should've ordered dihydrogen monoxide instead!
ReplyDeletegreat post ;-)
ReplyDeletei saw that cartoon on facebook yesterday and laughed out loud!
Who knew grammar could be humorous? :D I'll have that gin fizz now, thx.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for you, Laurel. Another blogger just posted on the Oxford comma. I worked in news, and we never used it. Do you know if it is used in U.S. book publishing?
ReplyDeleteElle: dihydorgen dioxide, usually known as hydrogen peroxide, is poisonous unless diluted a lot (like the stuff you get at the drug store to clean cuts). It's used as a bleach and apparently also as rocket propellant in less dilute forms. Zowie.
ReplyDeleteKittie: Glad to have brought a smile. Thanks for visiting.
JEM: It's such a great illustration, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteTheresa: They are simultaneously funny and great illustrations of parts of speech and grammar.
Shelley: A chemist friend of mine had shared it on her FB page. I saw a grammar component.
Jenn: Indeed. Homonyms can be hazardous to your health!
ReplyDeleteKatie: Thanks. Always happy to prove that grammar CAN be fun. :-)
Tricia: I had fun looking for alliterative drink names to go with grammar. Bottoms up!
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, the Oxford comma. Like you, I was trained using Associate Press style, which eschews the Oxford comma. Modern Language Association style (a thoroughly American academic research style guide), which I use for work now, also eliminates it. If I were to make a sweeping generalization, I'd say the Oxford comma is probably more common in the UK and Commonwealth countries. But honestly, I don't know what style guides the Big Six use.
Hahaha! Thanks for posting this--that comic made me laugh out loud. I'll have to share that with the science teachers around the corner from me at school.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the expanded comment on the Oxford comma, Laurel. I'm going to stick with not using it until an editor buys my book and tells me otherwise. :D
ReplyDeleteStephanie: It's been circulating around Facebook a while. I hope they enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteTricia: That's my thinking, too. The acquisitions side are not going to get hung up about such a minor thing, so do what comes naturally. You have a nation of newspapers to back you up.
omg... *shame* it took me forever to get that H2O2 one... I was like, did he poison it??? Huh?
ReplyDeleteThose are so great--perfect for the classroom! And hey, thanks for the editing rec! You rule~ <3