Is this notice correct?

bubu   Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:36 am GMT
The notice below will be sent to the students of an educational institution. I wonder if the sentences are correct and conform with British English grammar.

1. No classes will held on every 2nd and 4th Saturday for parent- teacher consultation.

2. Holidays falling on Saturdays, Sundays or during vacations have not been mentioned in the list. Parents are requested not to make any phone calls during the holidays.


3. Holidays declared by District Administration during heavy rushes like Kanwar or any other Melas will be intimated to parents from time to time.


I will be grateful if someone can give this notice a proffessional touch. I would also appreciate to know where the mistakes lies.

Thank you in advance
Trimac20   Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:41 am GMT
What country are you from?

1 should be: Classes for parent-teacher consultations will not be held on every second 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.

2. Holidays falling on Saturday, Sunday or during vacation have not been listed. Parents are requested not to make phone calls during these holidays.

I'm not 100% what they mean in the third one.
bubu   Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:43 am GMT
There are some foreign words in the notice. like 'kanwar' and 'Melas' . They are names of fairs and festivals.
tbd   Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:58 am GMT
For Kanwar or other Melas, the district administrator shall determine holidays on a case by case basis and communicate this information to parents in a timely fashion.

I would say this for #1 since the previous suggestion says something different - I believe this is what you wish to communicate: No classes will be held on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month to allow for parent- teacher consultations.
Uriel   Thu Mar 26, 2009 4:32 am GMT
Well, here's my two cents:

1. No classes will held on every 2nd and 4th Saturday for parent- teacher consultation.

This wording gets the point across, but not in the clearest way possible. Although I get the gist that no classes will be held on these days in order to make time for parent-teacher conferences, it is ambiguously worded and could also literally mean that there are classes for parent-teacher consultations, but they won't be held on 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Just for clarity's sake I would change this to "Parent-teacher consultations will be held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month. There will be no classes on these days."

There is also something a little weird about putting "every" in that sentence. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it doesn't quite fit.


2. Holidays falling on Saturdays, Sundays or during vacations have not been mentioned in the list. Parents are requested not to make any phone calls during the holidays.

"Holidays falling on weekends or holidays are not included on the list. Parents are requested not to make any phone calls during holidays."

"Mentioned" just isn't the right word here. "Included" is a more likely term for these kinds of instructions.


3. Holidays declared by District Administration during heavy rushes like Kanwar or any other Melas will be intimated to parents from time to time.

"Holidays declared by District Administration during busy times like Kanwar or other Melas will be announced as they occur."

Ditto with "intimated" -- "announced" is better and more commonly used in this type of instruction.

It isn't that intimated and mentioned are being used incorrectly or ungrammatically -- it's just that they have certain shades of meaning that make them inappropriate for this type of communication. Instructions like this have a certain style, and stock phrases and terms that you expect. To intimate something to someone is not just to tell them, but to tell them in a hinting or suggesting way, or to divulge sensitive information in secret. Not the right connotation. To announce is to make something known in a clear, straightforward, and public manner. To mention something is often to say it in an offhand, careless, or abbreviated way. Not quite the right tone for this exercise. In other contexts they would be perfectly fine -- just not here.