Tuesday 11 August 2009

If I wasn't already feeling ill...


I visited my local Medicare office today to claim a rebate for my visit to the Specialist and was bemused to notice that the office was festooned with official Australian Government posters announcing in the boldest font imaginable that

'You can now claim your Medicare rebate at the doctor's'

The doctor's 'what' I wondered? Who edits and clears these Government posters? The same affront to grammar and punctuation appears throughout the Medicare website.

Those bosses of mine back in the 1960s who used to compose their messages with the same attention to detail as though they were writing 'War and Peace' must be spinning in their graves.
Posted by at
Labels: ,

6 comments:

  1. wcs11 August 2009 at 16:25

    Maybe they mean at the doctor's office, with "office" being understood?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Mutant11 August 2009 at 17:28

    I'm with WCS, the intention is 'doctor's office' or 'doctor's surgery' however as some doc's (that apostrophe is because of the abbreviation BTW) operate in a clinic, some from a consulting room, some from a medical centre I think that stopping after 'doctor's' was just easier.

    But hey, we all my know my spelling a grammar are up to shit so I'll bow out now!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Victor11 August 2009 at 17:29

    wcs/Mutant - I've no doubt that is what they imply but the language is clumsy and not what I was taught at school.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11 August 2009 at 20:49

    I would have inserted the apostrophy too. Doesn't it lead to the ommited word surgery? But I do think it is quite an ugly way of phrasing a simple message. This sort of thing sure ain't gonna get any better.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Earwig13 August 2009 at 09:05

    As someone who has taught grammar all my working life, let me assure you the sentence is correct.
    The apostrophe in "doctor's" is essential. Without it the preposition is incorrect to gain any semblance of meaning and the definite article becomes redundant.
    Of course, other comment makers are correct. The possessive case refers to the office or clinic or surgery where the doctor sees the patient. Removing this noun means the sentence is far less clumsy and covers all possibilities.
    At least the sentence is written in active not passive voice as so many government messages fail in this regard.
    That is my two cents worth!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Victor13 August 2009 at 17:15

    Earwig et al - I concede to more informed opinion.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)