The Turner Ink blog contains rants, bloopers, observations and opinions. It also has handy tips on grammar and punctuation such as colons: semicolons; and full stops. As well as some very useful ‘how tos’. Feel free to leave comments. Be nice though.

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Archive for the 'Bloopers' category

And turn over your paper. Real exam answers from the UK’s yoof

14th
Jun
by Sarah Turner

With exam season nearly upon us let’s take a look at how well last year’s 16 year olds did. (These are all genuine answers. Wrong, but genuine.)

Q: Name the four seasons
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight

Q: What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on?
A: If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed

Q: In a democratic society, how important are elections?
A: Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes?
A: Premature death

Q: What is artificial insemination?
A: When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow

Q: How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen)?
A: The body is consisted into 3 parts – the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie

Q: What does ‘varicose’ mean?
A: Nearby

Q: What is the most common form of birth control?
A: Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium

Q: Give the meaning of the term ‘Caesarean section’?
A: The caesarean section is a district in Rome

Q: What is a seizure?
A: A Roman Emperor

Q: What is a terminal illness?
A: When you are sick at the airport

Q: Give an example of a fungus. What is a characteristic feature?
A: Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and they look like umbrellas

Q: Use the word ‘judicious’ in a sentence to show you understand its meaning
A: Hands that judicious can be soft as your face

Q: What does the word ‘benign’ mean?
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight

Q: What is a turbine?
A: Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head

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Kepp cleap…keer clep…don’t park ‘ere

1st
Apr
by Sarah Turner

Keep Clear

 

As reported in today’s Daily Mail. It was April Fool’s Day though…

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We’re doing it for the childrens, child’s, chil….kids

12th
Mar
by Sarah Turner

Arsenal programmeThis blooper was spotted in the Arsenal programme for this week’s big match against Porto. (We won 5-0 since you ask. What? Oh you didn’t ask.)

Fantastic cause. (Great Ormond Street Hospital). Amazing Football Club. But rotten old punctuation.

Remember:
Child in singular.
Children is plural.
Anything belonging to children is children’s.

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A sign of the times? Bloopers from around the UK

10th
Feb
by Sarah Turner

Friend and SEO colleague, Rob Dobson, emailed me this pic this afternoon from the Fulham Road, London. Hmmm…nice shop. Poor sign.

Window of La Maison Coloniale in Fulham

But La Maison is in good (bad?) company. Take a look at these corkers that have been sent to the MSN News site recently. 

Do not climb sign

Do not cling? Do not climb? Or what the heck. Let’s have both.

Help us reduce crime sign

Yeah, help us reduce crime against the English language.

Oxford Dictionary sign

I wonder if there were enough Ofxord Dictionary’s left to be handed out as leaving presents.

Waitress or waitor sign

We hope you’re fluent in English ‘cos we’re not. Although we make awesome stuffed olives.

 Tomato sign

You say tom-ah-to we say to-may-to. Let’s call the whole thing off.

Sue's Snax's sign

My personal fave. Sue’s Snax’s. So wrong. So very wrong.

Ladies powder room sign

I sort of love this sign. I like the fact the loo is referred to as a powder room. And it’s only 5p to have a tiddle. That’s a bargain.

What I especially like is one of the comments left on the MSN News site.

Also, in number 17, the apostrophe is not superfluous, merely in the wrong place as the word “ladies” is a plural, and the toilets are “ladies’ toilets”.

Oh, so it’s merely in the wrong place. That’s ok then.

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Need any stationary?

2nd
Feb
by Sarah Turner

Business Stationary posterI spotted this on the Holloway Road this week.

Well we have just had a recession. So I guess some businesses may be stationary. But I don’t suppose this is what they are talking about.                                               

Come on people. This is a schoolboy error. The easiest way to remember the difference:  stationers (with an E) sell stationery (also with an E).                                

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