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If there’s ever an excuse to admire the real-life power of a comma, this might be it. Apparently, the misuse of the tiny punctuation mark in a contract is going to cost Rogers Communications in Canada $2,130,000. From The Globe and Mail:
“Based on the rules of punctuation,” the comma in question “allows for the termination of the [contract] at any time, without cause, upon one-year’s written notice,” the regulator said. Rogers was dumbfounded. The company said it never would have signed a contract to use roughly 91,000 utility poles that could be cancelled on such short notice. Its lawyers tried in vain to argue the intent of the deal trumped the significance of a comma.
And while Lynne Truss, 6th grade language arts teachers and Grammar Nazis the world over are probably nodding their heads with glee, as a notorious breaker of laws (grammar laws) the situation makes me quiver.
Of course, it also reminds me of my favorite grammar comedy bit of all time, badly paraphrased from stand-up Anthony Clark’s old routine: “Everyone’s talking about Watergate and Whitewatergate and Travelgate. But do you know what the real conspiracy is? Conjugate. And do you know who the victims are? I am. You are. He is. She is. We are. They are…”
Comments (7)
Comment
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Here was the offending clause:
The agreement “shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.”
The original intent (at least from Rogers’ point of view) was that it would be in five-year terms and you could cancel a five-year term by giving your notice one year before that five-year term would start. Unfortunately for them, that second comma makes the clause read that the contract can be canceled at any time, as long as a one year notice is given.
Watch your commas!
posted by Simon on 8-10-2006 at 2:09 pm
heh… I tend to litter my language with the suckers, but I’ll definitely start paying more attention!
posted by Mangesh on 8-10-2006 at 2:36 pm
No, the funniest grammar joke is about the young priest, crying as he comes up from the underground literary morgue, and, when asked why the tears, replies: “the word was ‘celibrate!”
posted by Milton on 8-16-2006 at 11:09 am
heh… my cousin made up a joke a few years ago that’s kind of a good grammar joke. It went something like this: there’s a guy who’s severely constipated so he decides to take half his bowels out, and when his friend asks him why, he says “because I prefer a semi-colon to a full stop.”
posted by Mangesh on 8-16-2006 at 12:01 pm
Wow. You would expect this mistake from your co-worker in the adjacent cube, not from a contract lawyer.
posted by Michael on 8-16-2006 at 2:20 pm
I had seen this one years ago and found it at the above website. It’s pretty good!!
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are
generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you
admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me
for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings
whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will
you let me be yours?
Gloria
versus
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are
generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you.
Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me.
For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings
whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will
you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria
posted by Misty on 8-16-2006 at 11:24 pm
Seen in Reader’s Digest many, many years ago:
The young marketting agent disagreed with his boss who insisted on the use of quotation marks in their media to convey emphasis.
“Quotation marks”, Mr.Jones explained, “draw attention to key words, and reinforce concepts about our product in the consumers’ minds.”
Undeterred the young man offered his own example.
“Imagine reading your name in the society page of the newspaper. The headline reads, ‘Mr. Jones was seen leaving the Park Hotel with his pretty young “wife” ‘.
posted by Tracey on 8-19-2006 at 1:01 pm