0
Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Proper grammar
which is proper grammar...."The traffic sign states "Stop."" or "The sign reads "Stop.""
Top answer
Both are "ok". " (The ambiguities of English) However, most people will understand that it means: "You can read the word 'Stop' which is printed on the sign" or "The statement 'Stop' is printed on the sign" It is certainly general usage to use either. A quick search using Google shows: "the sign states" - appears 192,000 times.
- Both are "ok".
- " (The ambiguities of English) However, most people will understand that it means: "You can read the word 'Stop' which is printed on the sign" or "The statement 'Stop' is printed on the sign" It is certainly general usage to use either.
- A quick search using Google shows: "the sign states" - appears 192,000 times.
- "the sign reads" - appears 3,310,000 times.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
Both are "ok". Depending how someone wishes to interpret the sentence, it could be argued that "signs can not read or state anything." (The ambiguities of English) However, most people will understand that it means:
"You can read the word 'Stop' which is printed on the sign"
or
"The statement 'Stop' is printed on the sign"
It is certainly general
"You can read the word 'Stop' which is printed on the sign"
or
"The statement 'Stop' is printed on the sign"
It is certainly general
00
And almost 10 million for "The sign says" although it doesn't speak a word.
It's very common to ask someone "What does that sign say?" or to say "I can't read what that sign says."
It's very common to ask someone "What does that sign say?" or to say "I can't read what that sign says."
00
Related Questions