Observe. This sign is hanging up in at LEAST four places at my health club. Sigh…
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It’s not clear at all, but I don’t see any grammatical problems.
Perhaps some stylistic imperfections. The first sentence should probably lose the comma to become Children of the opposite sex and over the age of 4, and it should probably read are not allowed in the adult locker rooms.
Other than that, it’s fine to me.
Grammatically, I think there should be a comma after 4. “Opposite sex” of whom and why aren’t children allowed in a family locker room? Or do they mean that unattended children aren’t allowed? Or just unattended opposite sex children? What about transgendered children? Why is four the cut-off age? Are little girls more aware of naked men after four and little boys more aware of naked women? What’s the difference between the family locker rooms and the single family rooms? One parent families? Or a single family unit?
I’m so confused…….
The first sentence doesn’t make sense at all. And shouldn’t it be childrens’ ?
In fact, in my opinion this whole sign is pathetic. What happened to our society that a mother can’t help her 5 yr old son undress in her own locker room? Or did I totally misunderstand it?
Sorry Frumteacher, “children” is already plural. There is no such plural as “childrens.” The original apostrophe is correct.
OK, I’m glad that apparently I’m not the only one who didn’t immediately see anything obviously wrong with this sign.
This sign is confusing. Yes, we can figure out what they mean but they could’ve made it much easier.
Just take out that dangling comma!
Yeah, CTG – it’s the damned comma. Sigh…
I believe I saw this question on the SAT years ago:)
Oh thank God. It’s the comma. I was beginning to doubt myself and make up other things wrong with it.
You really had people scratching their heads on this one, Mrs. Chili–they were beginning to doubt your prowess as a grammar maven!
CTG,
…or doubt our ability to understand grammar.
Ahw, the COMMA!