Grammar error on sign amuses PHV driver, raises questions about English standards in Singapore
As a private-hire vehicle driver, 60-year-old Mr Tim is no stranger to the many sights around Singapore.
Still, one sign he recently spotted along Margaret Drive left such an impression that he felt compelled to email MS News about it.
In his tip-off, Mr Tim shared that he had repeatedly passed The Penrith condominium show flat while driving.
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, except for a sign hanging outside that read “We are close” instead of “We are closed”.
Image courtesy of Mr Tim
“I feel so sorry for the sign,” he said.
Sign was so amusing that he had to take a picture
Mr Tim described the grammatical error as both “shocking and hilarious”.
He said the sign had been there since the show flat was built, and he had spotted it several times before finally getting the chance to photograph it.
“I came across it many times but didn’t have the chance to photograph it until one night when I stopped at the traffic lights,” he told MS News.
His family and friends, however, were less impressed by the discovery.
“They wondered why I bothered to take the picture, as they felt that it was not such a big deal,” he said.
Perhaps to them, the case was already “close”.
Image courtesy of Mr Tim
While he found the mistake amusing, Mr Tim also expressed concern that the standard of English in Singapore may be “going downhill”.
Singapore adults’ literacy proficiency below OECD average
A misplaced “d” may seem minor, but recent OECD findings have also raised broader concerns about adult literacy standards in Singapore.
The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Survey of Adult Skills found that Singapore adults recorded a mean literacy score of 255, slightly below the OECD average of 260.
While Singapore’s ranking improved from 28th out of 39 economies to 18th out of 31, researchers noted a steep decline in literacy proficiency from the age of 35 onwards.
Possible reasons include fewer opportunities to practise such skills after leaving school and Singapore’s multilingual environment, as the assessment was conducted in English.
The OECD findings also have implications for the workforce.
Director of NTU’s Centre for Research and Development in Learning, Dr Annabel Chen, noted that weaker reading, comprehension, and problem-solving skills could make it harder for adults to adapt to new roles and remain employable.
Also read: 89% of poll respondents think that aspiring S’pore PRs should take English proficiency test
89% of poll respondents think that aspiring S’pore PRs should take English proficiency test
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Featured image courtesy of Mr Tim.
