Hello again! Did you know that I am not only a(n occasional) blog writer, but I am also a loyal blog reader? I enjoy my friends' posts, of course, but I also subscribe to a number of themed blogs.

One blog in particular that I like is called The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. Fun Fact: some people use quotation marks around a word or phrase when they want to emphasize it, typically on signage. The problem is that that's not what quotation marks are supposed to be used for! Emphasis is traditionally obtained by USING ALL CAPS, bolding, or the classic underlining.

Actually, using quotation marks does the opposite of what the person probably intended. It doesn't emphasize the phrase; it makes the phrase look like someone said it, it's a coined term, or that it's ironic, metaphoric, a pun, or a word is being used oddly. Example: Since I karaoked yesterday and the day before (true story!), I am pretty much now considered a "professional singer".

English lesson aside, I am a little torn. Do I want people to encourage the use correct grammar and not misuse quotation marks? Or do I want them to keep doing it because it's funny? What to do, what to do?

In the meantime, I have found a few misused quotation marks in person lately (it's so rare to see blog-worthy sightings in the real world!), so I thought I'd share them with you. Hope they "amuse" you! (ha, see what I did there?)

:)

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From a cafe in Washington D.C.:

See what I mean? It sounds like the food is not "just made", but more like "eh, in reality nothing in the cafe was made less than 4 months ago... but we have really good freezers, so it'll taste like it's just been made!"

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From my coupon-mailer:

... or "It's really made out of spray-painted Styrofoam, but it sure looks like it's all wood!"

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From my friend's apartment's rooftop patio:

Who's telling us this? I can hear the conversation in my head:
Friend 1: "Hey buddy, I know you enjoy cocktail, but for your safety absolutely no glass on deck area."
Friend 2: "Yeah, we should put up a sign! Can I quote you on it?"

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From my local paper:

My goodness, if they aren't really buying gold, then what ARE they doing??

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If you like those little ditties, check out The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. It's the best of the best. :)

And if you see any good ones out there, share please!