Funny English Signs

by Katie on July 15, 2007

by Katie | July 15th, 2007  

give.jpgYou’ve surely seen signs like these:

  • It is forbidden to entertain guests of the opposite sex in your room; please use the lobby for this purpose. (Hotel in China)
  • Please leave your values at the front desk (Hotel in Paris)
  • Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty. (Zoo in Hungary)
  • There will be an exhibition of art by 15,000 Soviet sculptors and painters. These were executed over the past two years. (Announcement in Russia)

  • Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager (Restaurant in Nairobi)
  • Ladies are requested not to have children at the bar (Cocktail lounge in Norway)
  • Persons are prohibited from picking flowers at any but their own graves (A cemetery somewhere)

…or at least received lists of them as email forwards.
Earnestly written English signs with amusing unintended meanings. Find more here. Mind you, most common mistakes in English are not that funny; these signs are selected because they are. But how to use a list like this in class?

{ 2 comments }

jv July 17, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Corner

Heh, I love these. Don’t forget http://www.engrish.com.

Corner
Katie July 18, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Corner

Ha – good one! And apparently it is “adult engrish” week. Those are usually even funnier.

Corner

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