Grappling Grammar

I have been stunned and amazed at the horrible grammar that I have encountered in the past few weeks.  I spent $35 to join the official Selena Gomez Fan Club.  Like a child waiting for Christmas, I watched my mailbox for my packet.  When it arrived, I was greatly disappointed.  I had received my laminate and a letter that was supposedly crafted by Ms. Selena.  However, my heart sank as I read the second line:  "I have the best bans in the world!"  Really?  "Bans?"  Not only was that a glaring mistake, but, the paper that the letter was printed on was glossy.  And this is what all fan club members receive.  Does Selena not have a PR team that proof reads things that go out in her name? 

Similarly, I attended a meeting for one of the organizations that I am a member of.  The group is holding a large fund raising campaign for a new building project.  At each seat sat a beautifully laminated bookmark, complete with the group's logo and a picture of what the future building would look like. 

As I began to read, I noticed something.  One sentence dealt with how long the group has been serving the community and it read "...for over 55years..."  Yes, there was no space between the number 55 and the word "years."  Sighing, I continued on and came to most hideous error of them all.  A line read, "....and *Poochie is proud of it's service to the community."  NO!  Not the infamous wrong use of "it's"! 

Sadly, yes.  As a Mass Communications major with a English minor, this infuriates me!  Not to mention the fact that my mom is a teacher.  This is how she teaches her students the difference of its and it's:  "Try using it in a sentence.  If you use it's, it will read 'Poochie is proud of it is service to the community.'  Does this sound right?"  And the worst part?  It had the CEO's name stamped at the bottom.

Please, proof read your materials before sending them out en mass.  It only takes a second and makes a world of difference.  Do not take the risk of jeopardizing your company's/star's credibility.  Thank you!



*name has been changed