Sunday, June 01, 2008

Nerd Notes: UK taxi driver penalized for his bad grammar

He was denied his license because when he took his English exam, he had . . . incorrect use of apostrophes.

The cabbie is now taking a college course (funded by that font of monetary compassion, the UK taxpayer) so he can take his English exam again.

This is an extreme case of grammar enforcement, but correct grammar is a beautiful thing.

1 comment:

Pat Patterson said...

It wasn't just an improper use of an apotrophe that caused him to fail the test it was not knowing the difference between the plural and the possessive. And numerous spelling errors.

To be a private hire driver the test is more rigorous and the investigation is more extensive. Private hire cabs must be called for a pick up and are often used by people going to the airport with their bags and whatnot, you know kids!

He, Mr. Kirk could not have been denied a license based solely on the written exam unless that part of the exam was concerning the regulations of being a driver, the laws concerning driving period or his description of the route he would use to get someone from point A to B without any help.

Plus, over the last year or so the Britsh press has shown itself to be more than capable of printing stories that are just not true. For example the recent one about piggy banks being withdrawn from a bank promotion for possibly offending Muslim sensibilities or the removal of any kind of pig from juvenile literature in the primary grades. So long Babe or in my case the dimly remembered Freddie the Pig stories.