From where?

This sign could come across as rather rude since it is most likely placed in a public area. It sounds more of a declarative statement, instructing the audience to do something.
This is because the preposition 'from' is used.

However, I believe that is not the message that the authorities want to deliver, the sign is supposed to be a guide for the audience.
The phrase 'get down' is also wrongly used. It should be 'go down' since in the context above, there is a picture of a stairs and the signboard at the background.

A way to rephrase this sign is to change it to, 'Go down by here'.

The reason why I changed 'from' to 'by' is because of the stairs in the photo. We go down 'by the stairs' and not 'from the stairs'.

Works Cited:

Engrish.com. (2008). Engrish. Retrieved May 2009, 09, from www.engrish.com

Which way to the grammar clinic?

This sign found at a void deck in Yishun contain 2 typos or spelling errors. There are no such words in the English dictionary as 'pedestrain' and 'poly cleanic.'

Although this message can be understood by Singaporeans, the English speaking audience might have a hard time figuring out its meaning. This could be due to our differences in socio-cultural context.

The correct word to replace 'pedestrain' is 'pedestrian' and instead of 'poly cleanic', it should be 'polyclinic.' This sign should read, 'Pedestrian, this way to bus stop and polyclinic.'

Another alternative alteration to the sign above is removing the word 'pedestrian'
So it simply reads, 'This way to bus stop and polyclinic.'

Works Cited:

The Straits Times. (2007). English As It Is Broken. Singapore: Panpac Education Private Limited.

Spread jam on our Ez-link?

The grammatical error in this notice is associated with the word 'jam'. In the above context, the word 'jam' becomes more of a noun, than of a verb.

The noun which 'jam' refers to above is the preserve of a whole fruit. It does sound hilarious to think of the Ez link card getting spread with jam while in the machine.

I believe that the authorities want to deliver the message of prevention for the EZ link card from getting stuck. The noun 'jam' should be changed to the verb 'jammed'.

The notice should therefore read, 'To prevent your Ez link from getting jammed in the machines, please do not insert cards with bent edges.'

Works Cited:

The Straits Times. (2007). English As It Is Broken. Singapore: Panpac Education Private Limited.

Between... and

Although the audience understand the message conveyed above, there is a grammatical mistake in the first sentence.
The preposition 'between' is wrongly used with the conjunction 'to'. It should be used with the conjunction 'and'.

When we want to indicate interval at periods of time, we use 'between...and'.

In the above context, it should be, 'You may encounter some difficulties boarding the train at this area between 8.00 am and 9.30 on Monday to Friday.'

'Between...and' is different from 'from to'.
'From to' is used when we want to emphasis the beginning and end of something. For example, 'They are giving away free handphones from 9am to 10am.'

Works Cited:

The Straits Times. (2007). English As It Is Broken. Singapore: Panpac Education Private Limited.

'Drink' all the bread that you can!

This sign at Cafe Cartel used the term 'free flow' for its advertisement of homemade bread.
The usage of the term 'Free flow' in this context is wrong as it is a term which is associated with drinks; since liquid can flow.
'Unlimited Servings/Helpings' would have been a better choice.

Works Cited:

The Straits Times. (2007). English As It Is Broken. Singapore: Panpac Education Private Limited.

What a constructive day!

1) This signboard is missing a noun after the adverb 'today'. In this context, today acts more like a noun, rather than as an adverb.

By placing the adverb 'today' at the beginning of the sentence, it give readers the impression that this construction is happening just for this present day and time.

It is rather misleading for the English speaking audience as it gives the information that 'the present day' itself is under construction.
If this notice is placed outside a park, it is more appropriate to read: Today, the park is under construction.

2) In the second sentence, there is a pronoun (your) missing before the noun (understanding). 'Understanding' is an abstract noun and it is unique to every individual.

The pronoun 'your' also gives a personal touch to the message.
This sign would have been more appropriate if the second sentence read 'Thank you for your understanding.'

Works Cited:

Engrish.com. (2008). Engrish. Retrieved May 2009, 09, from www.engrish.com