We are not alone in the fight to preserve good grammar and usage. In London, the Apostrophe Protection Society is on the case, haranguing Harrods and other retailers to put the apostrophe back in their corporate names. Fight on, grammar nerds.
(Thanks to commenter Susan for suggesting the idea of the grammar geeks unit.)
10 responses so far ↓
Susan (GGU#1) // August 22, 2006 at 2:49 am
Yes, it was an inspired idea, wasn’t it? Even if it began as a typo for the rallying cry “Grammar Geeks Unite!” But I have my concerns about the Apostrophe Protection Society. There are already millions, perhaps billions, of superfluous apostrophes cluttering up the universe. Surely the absence of same from the odd retail store sign is a good thing, a gentle (though futile) attempt at restoring the balance of apostrophes.
Patti // August 22, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Perhaps there’s a grammatical zero-sum at work here. That is, there are only a certain number of apostrophes in the universe, albeit currently in the wrong places, and this decision will restore some of them to their rightful places without adding to the total. What we need is for a bigger chain (like Zellers in Canada–currently minus its apostrophe) to follow suit. Then we might be able to see if some of the superfluous apostrophes disappear. I’m sure it’s just like physics–the Law of the Conservation of Apostrophes.
Meg // August 22, 2006 at 8:00 pm
E = M’C'2′
Kate // August 22, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Why are superfluous and missing apostrophes the first target of the Grammar Geeks Society? Surely the misuse of homophones is a much more serious threat!
Ann Hanson // August 22, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Kate, it’s a sad truth, but much of the world is still homophonic. This will simply take a while longer.
Susan // August 23, 2006 at 3:16 pm
A serious threat indeed, Kate. And the most dangerous misuse of homophones is those who insist on using them while driving.
Patti // August 23, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Speak of the homophone…. From the front page of our local paper today (recounting what appears to have been a murder–very unusual for this part of the world): “‘She told me there was blood all over the place and it wasn’t a pretty site,’ he said.” ACK!
Kate // August 23, 2006 at 9:04 pm
If the world is still too homophonic to tackle the problem head-on, perhaps we could broach the subject under the guise of ending apostrophe misuse. Why not begin with homophones that contain apostrophes?
Snart // August 24, 2006 at 1:41 am
Kate, who’s gonna tackle that issue? Theirs too many examples. Eyed been wasting my time to try. But your free to do it. Will wait.
Meg // August 24, 2006 at 10:05 am
“She told me there was blood all over the place and it wasn’t a pretty site”.
Mistake and all, the sentence is undoubtedly accurate.
100 days: apostrophes and apocalypses « lying for a living // November 13, 2006 at 6:47 pm
[...] Credit whim, serendipity, and lack of editorial oversight. But my own imagination has supplied only half the ideas here. What has made this so much fun is the contribution from commenters. You’re the ones who have helped create the Grammar Geeks Unit, and mooted plans for a rather festive invasion of Canada. (Perhaps in the Spam Mobile?) You’ve turned this from an online journal into a conversation. Thanks. [...]
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