Bank Of England Makes Major Grammar Mistake On New Five Pound Note And Brits Aren't Pleased

There is beauty in the evolution of the English language.

From new acronyms to discover, words that are yet to be invented, to a load of idioms that find their way into our mother tongue, even the most staunch, traditionalist would agree that there is something to be celebrated in the ever-changing vernacular.

However, one thing we won't tolerate is poor grammar.

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And no, we're not talking about the occasional slang word or use of a hashtag to express our emotions, we're talking the everyday grammar mistakes that slowly, but surely, start to become common place in society even though they make no sense at all such as the use of 'me' instead of 'I', or the exchanging of 'i.e.' with 'e.g.'.

It appears even one of the most powerful of British institutions has committed a grammar crime. We're looking at you, Bank of England.

According to the Telegraph, the Bank has been accused of 'dumbing down' its language, after purposefully removing punctuation from a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, printed on its new five pound notes.

Despite originally including quotation marks around the former prime minister's famous saying, 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat', the publication reports the Bank made the executive decision to remove the punctuation from the final design – a move which has angered members of the 'Grammar Police' up and down the country.

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The National Literacy Trust has reportedly advised the Bank to correct the grammar mistake, which prints the quote without a full stop or quotation marks.

Oh, the audacity.

Okay, so it might not be the most important issue for Britain at the moment, what with the general election coming up on 8 June, but English grammar is at the crux of the country's long-respected identity.

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If the Bank of England continues at this rate, who knows what other British institutions will let the standards of English grammar slip?

Could the Monarchy ask the Queen to give her next Christmas Day speech in text language?

Will Trevor McDonald be presenting the news using Twitter's 140-character limit?

Make the madness stop.

Katie O'Malley

Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.