fine for parking here

[güey]

Hello,

Would you tell me please if the line in question really ambiguous? I think it's not. If it says "fine for (something)", it cannot mean "it's ok to park here." Must be a weak joke, isn't it?

A man was in court charged with parking his car in a restricted area.
The judge asked if he had anything to say in his defense.
"They shouldn't put up such misleading notices," said the man.
"It said FINE FOR PARKING HERE."
(joke found online)

 

[englishwithcraig]

I mean yeah, its a terrible joke a weak joke like you said!

The punchline is indeed intended to mean that "it's fine to park here" , in place of a monetary 'fine'.

We always say 'fine to (do something), but never 'fine for'.

"It's fine to wear your shoes in the house, go ahead"
"its fine to watch TV while we eat dinner, sure"

 

[teechar]

Hello,

Hi, but there's no need for greetings! In future, just go right ahead and ask your question.

Would you tell me please if the line in question is really ambiguous?

Yes, because "fine" has several meanings (here, the two meanings involved are "OK", and "monetary penalty").

I think it's not. If it says "fine for (something)", it cannot mean "it's ok OK/okay to park here."

Yes, it's implying that one interpretation is "It's okay to park there".

It must be a weak joke, isn't mustn't it?

It's not very witty, I agree, but it's okay.

(joke found online)

Tell us where you found it (link), and please do so in future posts.

 

[teechar]

We always say 'fine to (do something), but never 'fine for'.

It's fine for you to claim that, but it's not correct.
This shirt is fine for spring weather, but it's no good in winter.
This knife is fine for chopping vegetables, but not for cutting thick meat. [ This is the structure used in the joke quoted by the OP]

"It's fine to wear your shoes in the house, go ahead"

That's a comma splice error. You should use a semicolon or a full stop instead of that comma. Also, please end your sentences with an appropriate punctuation mark.

"its It's fine to watch TV while we eat dinner, sure"

Note also the capitalization and the apostrophe.

 

[englishwithcraig]

It's fine for you to claim that, but it's not correct.

The structure is different. You included a subject. I was referring to the structure of the original text, in which there is no subject.

This shirt is fine for spring weather, but it's no good in winter.
This knife is fine for chopping vegetables, but not for cutting thick meat. [ This is the structure used in the joke quoted by the OP]

Agreed. I should have given a clearer explanation. I was only trying to highlight the error and meaning of the joke.

That's a comma splice error. You should use a semicolon or a full stop instead of that comma. Also, please end your sentences with an appropriate punctuation mark.

In every Cambridge English textbook, a comma is used. I agree that a full stop could be used, but I would rather be honest with students and teach them what we naturally see. A comma is used in books, newspaper articles, and even in written role plays from a teacher's handbook.

"If you want to use my car, go ahead"

"Could I ask you a rather personal question?" "Sure, go ahead."

Both examples were taken from Collins and Cambridge dictionaries.

 

[Barque]

I was referring to the structure of the original text, in which there is no subject.

We always say 'fine to (do something), but never 'fine for'.

See this. You used "always" and "never". Now you say you were referring to the original text.

"If you want to use my car, go ahead"

This isn't a comma splice. A comma splice is where two phrases that can each work as a stand-alone sentence are separated by a comma. Your example is different.

 

[5jj]

"If you want to use my car, go ahead"

There is no comma splice there.

"It's fine to wear your shoes in the house, go ahead"

There is a comma splice there.

 

[Skrej]

This makes me think of another old joke of about the same level of wit.

A guy gets pulled over by a policeman for speeding.
Officer: Do you realize you were speeding?
Driver: How? The sign said said 65, and that's what I was driving.
Officer: That's the highway number, not the speed limit.
Driver: Really?! Then you should have seen me yesterday on Highway 101!