Improper grammar on cereal boxes????

[theMan]

So, I just bought like, 20 boxes of that Yogurt Burst Cheerios cereal, because it tastes really good, and of course, it was on sale. Anyway, as I was enjoying it one morning, I got to reading the box. Right at the bottom in big bold print it says:

Sweetened Whole Grain Oat Cereal with a Naturally Yogurt Flavored Coating

What on earth??? I have tried for hours to contemplate some meaning of what this says.

Does it mean they are naturally coated? Are they naturally flavored, but, what, the yogurt, the coating, the flavored????? What are they talking about? Did the job of marketing get outsourced to China too?

So, I did some research, and googled a picture of one of these cereal boxes. It came up with an older box design. And guess what it says....


It says:

Sweetened Whole Grain Oat Cereal with a Naturally Flavored Yogurt Coating

What is going on here? They made a revision of their box design, and then totally botched it? Or what?

Please, help me to understand this strange phenomenon.

 

[SirChadwick]

You're looking into it too much. It's just what it says: The yogurt coating is naturally flavored.

 

[pontifex]

naturally flavored yogurt coating.


the yogurt coating is naturally flavored...whats so hard to understand? like strawberry, blue berry, etc.

 

[theMan]

No, that is not what it says. It says, NATURALLY YOGURT FLAVORED COATING.

Think about it. "Naturally" is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs or adjectives. Since there is no verb in the sentence, it must be modifying an adjective, and, in english, the adverb goes directly before the adjective it is modifying. Since that is not the case here, it makes no sense.

It has an adverb modifying a noun, which, creates a statement of no meaning. It makes absolutely no sense.

 

[jdini76]

I think the original way implied that the Yogurt itself wasn't natural. But in fact it was. So they changed the statement to inform the consumer that the yogurt is natural and flavored.

No?

Edit: Actualy I think it is saying that the coating isn't really yogurt. Its yogurt flavored coating. So the original way was implying that it was yogurt.

 

[SVT Cobra]

What the OP means to say it should be Natrual Yogurt Flavored Coating

But, all they did was accidently put the words out of order on the box revision.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: jdini76
I think the original way implied that the Yogurt itself wasn't natural. But in fact it was. So they changed the statement to inform the consumer that the yogurt is natural and flavored.

No?

That still wouldn't make sense with the adverb there.

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: pontifex
naturally flavored yogurt coating.


the yogurt coating is naturally flavored...whats so hard to understand? like strawberry, blue berry, etc.

That is not what he said, he said naturally yogurt flavored coating.
This thing must have gone through a million bazillion checks and re-checks.. its pretty amazing nobody noticed that.

 

[TraumaRN]

Originally posted by: theman
No, that is not what it says. It says, NATURALLY YOGURT FLAVORED COATING.

Think about it. "Naturally" is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs or adjectives. Since there is no verb in the sentence, it must be modifying an adjective, and, in english, the adverb goes directly before the adjective it is modifying. Since that is not the case here, it makes no sense.

It has an adverb modifying a noun, which, creates a statement of no meaning. It makes absolutely no sense.

Yea....exactly. While you can figure out the meaning, it's grammatically horrible(just like my sentence).

 

[R Nilla]

Coating Yogurt Flavored Naturally ?

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
What the OP means to say it should be Natrual Yogurt Flavored Coating

But, all they did was accidently put the words out of order on the box revision.

Yes, it should either say:

Naturally Flavored Yogurt Coating

Or

Natrual Yogurt Flavored Coating

 

[jdini76]

Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

 

[Aftermath]

Hutz: All right, gentlemen, I?ll take your case. But I?m going to have to ask for a thousand-dollar retainer.

Bart: A thousand dollars? But your ad says ?No money down?.

Hutz: Oh! They got this all screwed up?

Bart: So you don?t work on a contingency basis?

Hutz: No, money down!

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

No, thats what the second of my 2 correct statements above mean. But, as printed, it has no meaning.


Also, i was just thinking. I see why this may have been very complicated for them.

From these two statements:

1. Naturally Flavored Yogurt Coating


2. Natrual Yogurt Flavored Coating

There are two meanings:

1. That there is a REAL yogurt coating, which happens to be naturally flavored.

2. That there is a yogurt flavored substance coating the cereal, but that although it is not actually yogurt, it is made from natural ingredients.

I have thought about a way to combine these two, in one short phrase with a similar construction, but it is impossible. This may have been why they messed it up.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

Correct, and probably the reason for the revision.

Yogurt flavored should be hyphenated.

Naturally Yogurt-Flavored Coating

Perhaps it was originally yogurt, then they found it was cheaper or better to make the coating and add yogurt flavor to it.

 

[HN]

if you find yourself walking through an aisle that has Rubbermaid Blue Ice packs, read what it says on the 2-pack lunch packs (i think it's the lunch packs). it's something like "blah blah blah when your[sic] on the go."

 

[slightlyhuman]

stfu and eat your food,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: theman

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

No, thats what the second of my 2 correct statements above mean. But, as printed, it has no meaning.

I disagree.

The first statement says "Naturally flavored Yogurt" forget the coating. that means that it is yogurt with natural flavors in it.

The second one which you think is wrong. reads "Naturally yogurt flavored" means that it is not yogurt it just tastes like yogurt.

I say it is correct.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

Correct, and probably the reason for the revision.

Yogurt flavored should be hyphenated.

Naturally Yogurt-Flavored Coating

Perhaps it was originally yogurt, then they found it was cheaper or better to make the coating and add yogurt flavor to it.

no, that is not right. that is what "NATURAL YOGURT FLAVORED COATING" would mean. But, it says NATURALLY YOGURT FLAVORED COATING" And that my friends, makes no sense.

this shows how carefully people read things....

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: jdini76

Originally posted by: theman

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

No, thats what the second of my 2 correct statements above mean. But, as printed, it has no meaning.

I disagree.

The first statement says "Naturally flavored Yogurt" forget the coating. that means that it is yogurt with natural flavors in it.

The second one which you think is wrong. reads "Naturally yogurt flavored" means that it is not yogurt it just tastes like yogurt.

I say it is correct.

No, wrong again. By removing the "coating" you are changing the function of the word "flavored" from an adjective to a verb, changing the entire meaning. With "coating" there, it makes no sense.

 

[theMan]

you have to think of it as being hyphenated: "yogurt-flavored" not, as two separate words. Nothing is actually being flavored.

 

[rivan]

You, sir, need to find a better outlet for your excess energy

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: theman

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: jdini76
Its saying that the coating is a "yogurt flavor". Not actually yogurt.

Correct, and probably the reason for the revision.

Yogurt flavored should be hyphenated.

Naturally Yogurt-Flavored Coating

Perhaps it was originally yogurt, then they found it was cheaper or better to make the coating and add yogurt flavor to it.

no, that is not right. that is what "NATURAL YOGURT FLAVORED COATING" would mean. But, it says NATURALLY YOGURT FLAVORED COATING" And that my friends, makes no sense.

this shows how carefully people read things....

hmm. i don't know maybe.

What if it said "Naturally Yogurt-Flavored coating"?


Edit: nevermind I just saw your debunk on this already. I give up.

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: rivan
You, sir, need to find a better outlet for your excess energy

Like coating cheerios with a naturally yogurt-flavored coating?

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

"Naturally" is a modifier for "Flavored".

Naturally flavored.....as in not artificially flavored.