Fewer, not less; and other sloppy use of language...

Looks like I have enough stuff for a "trilogy". My past two blog entries highlighted strange and then creative language use. Moi's blog du jour is bad language use...

Fewer, not less

If you need help on when to use "fewer" and when to use "less", here it is...

http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/fewerless.html

Double up? Why, you have a stomach ache?

In the first case, I don't see how one can have an "enhanced driving experience" when one is doubling up in pain. In the second case, simply say "doubles as an ez-link card...".

Got talent, not talents lah, if you are referring to people!

Put it this way... if a certain popular show ever gets a local version, the language manglers will call it "Singapore's Got Talents"! Elsewhere, it's "Britain's Got Talent", "America's Got Talent", etc. You are perfectly right, though, if you say "Ah Heng has many talents, like juggling maids and babies while he is at the same time clubbing misbehaving patrons at the nightclub where he doubles up as a bouncer".

When not to use "existing" as an adjective

In the matrix above, both "new products" and "new customers" are okay. And you can say "existing products". But you can't say "existing customers" because what you really mean is "current customers".

Think about it... an existing product can be upgraded, replaced, terminated, etc, because it is inanimate. Likewise, an existing law can be allowed to die.

So, you can't have "existing customers", "existing HDB tenants", etc! As I have said, what you want to say are "current customers" or "current tenants", etc. They may cease to be customers or tenants but that does not make them deceased!

It is of course perfectly all right to say "current products", "current laws", etc. Indeed, "current" is the preferred all-rounder word.

Likewise, the example below is bad -- but for a different reason. Here, the word "existing" is redundant:

A common error: I just bought a condo! (or condominium!)

In the Singapore context, ECs are Executive Condominiums. Each condominium (popularly shortened to "condo") will have x number of apartment units. So I can't imagine -- in the headline above -- Singapore having 5,000 ECs!

But you will hear people saying "I just bought a condo!" True, we have many, many millionaires but those with money to splurge will buy an expensive unit or even two here, another one there, etc.

Condominium pronunciation note: One Cabinet minister was famous for pronouncing this word as "condom-inium" when he was in charge of the relevant portfolio but please don't follow (him) lor. It should be rendered as "condo-minium".

Redundancy: No such thing as "12 noon". Noon will do

For want of the all-important apostrophe, the meaning is changed!

The above should be rendered as "Common women's problems". As it is, this ad seems elitist. There are "common women" and they are giving problems (to others)!

Last one: the gender bender

This is more a blooper than a language issue, but it is still an example of sloppy work. I guess one can't be too careful with foreign names. The mantra "Never assume" always applies.