Tesco bucks bad grammar

Cheshunt, England -- British grocery store chain Tesco said it is bypassing "ten items or less" signs at checkout lanes in new stores after complaints from grammar activists.

Tesco bosses said the new signs will read "up to ten items" after the Plain English Campaign, a group advocating proper grammar and word usage, suggested the move, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

"There is a debate about whether the word should be 'less' or 'fewer,'" a spokesman for the Plain English Campaign said. "Saying 'up to ten items' is easy to understand and avoids any debate."

A Tesco spokesman said the new signs will only be seen in new stores.

"The new signs will be in the rollout of new stores. We are not going to see any new ones in existing shops so shoppers in those will not see the change," he said.

However, even the new signs have not quite been perfected yet. On Sunday, a Tesco store cited by The Daily Mail contained a checkout sign reading: "Up to 10 item," with a crucial "s" missing from the otherwise grammatically correct message.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.