The menu at Tim Ho Wan, a nice restaurant for dim sum, says:
All the prices shown above are subjected to 10% service charge & 7% GST.
It should say ‘subject to’ and not ‘subjected to’. If I’ve seen this error once, I’ve seen it a thousand times…
In the phrase “subject to [noun]”, the word ‘subject’ is an adjective. The phrase can mean “vulnerable to [noun]”, “able to be affected adversely by [noun]”, “likely to suffer from [noun]”, “possibly required to undergo [noun]”. Here are some examples.
Those with certain medical conditions are subject to violent and debilitating seizures.
Hastily written emails are subject to misinterpretation.
In those days, all mail was subject to inspection by censorship authorities.
In the phrase “subjected to”, the word ‘subjected’ is part of a passive verb. The phrase “to subject [someone or something] to [some process]” means “to inflict or impose [some process] on [someone or something]”. Here are some examples.
The trainees were subjected to a rigorous training program.
All our prototypes are subjected to thorough stress-testing.
Many citizens object to the practice of subjecting prisoners to torture.
So listen up, would-be restaurant menu writers: if you say that all prices are subjected to service charge and tax, to careful readers, it sounds as if service charges and taxes are kinds of torture that you are carrying out, and your prices are the victims.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that all restaurant patrons are subjected to service charge and tax!
