Maybe the greengrocer's apostrophe functions as actual ownership: it is the customer who has notice. If it were a title, and a certain customer had posted it, it would make perfect sense.
I find it remarkable that this appeared in Cambridge, of all places.
I'm not certain it's an apostrophe rather than part of the R, but, either way, it does appear, that "Customer(')s notice" is a title. "Notice" used as a noun, and the notice following. Thus the underline and the capitalized I afterwards.
And it's not quite as simple as them putting a period instead of a comma. They also, properly for starting a new sentence, capitalized the next word. The only problem is the bit before it isn't a full sentence.
By comparison with the other lower-case r, the mark is clearly an apostrophe. "Customer's notice" makes much more sense as a title. The comma is then correct, leaving only the capitalization of "Please" to be explained as mere emphasis.
But it's not talking about one customer, so even if it's possessive it should be Customers'
I just wonder why they made the "Quietly" and "Respect" red.... makes me think they aren't unnecessary quotation marks but they really are there to indicate sarcasm. Because if there were meant for emphasis why would they need to use colour to emphasise as well?
Maybe the greengrocer's apostrophe functions as actual ownership: it is the customer who has notice. If it were a title, and a certain customer had posted it, it would make perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteI find it remarkable that this appeared in Cambridge, of all places.
It could have been worse, it could have appeared in Oxford!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain it's an apostrophe rather than part of the R, but, either way, it does appear, that "Customer(')s notice" is a title. "Notice" used as a noun, and the notice following. Thus the underline and the capitalized I afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not quite as simple as them putting a period instead of a comma. They also, properly for starting a new sentence, capitalized the next word. The only problem is the bit before it isn't a full sentence.
By comparison with the other lower-case r, the mark is clearly an apostrophe. "Customer's notice" makes much more sense as a title. The comma is then correct, leaving only the capitalization of "Please" to be explained as mere emphasis.
ReplyDeleteThat notice belongs to one of their customers. Apparently his neighbor has issues with this business and its patrons.
ReplyDeleteI think "Customer's Notice" is clearly an imperative, thus making the apostrophe greengrocer-y.
ReplyDeleteAs they say where I come from, there's no neighbour so bad as a neighbour who can't punctuate properly.
But it's not talking about one customer, so even if it's possessive it should be Customers'
ReplyDeleteI just wonder why they made the "Quietly" and "Respect" red.... makes me think they aren't unnecessary quotation marks but they really are there to indicate sarcasm. Because if there were meant for emphasis why would they need to use colour to emphasise as well?
Wow, you've really got a great blog going here. This stuff is great.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you.
lol :-D