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Punctuation Pet Peeves
Awhile back I was visiting a friend’s house when the topic of punctuation came up.
Punctuation Pet Peeves!!
Punctuation.
I know it’s not exactly the hot theme for triggering friendly chit-chat at the fireside, but this was the subject. It must have veered off of grandchildren and how smart they are, and how they can spell and suddenly we were talking about grammar, exclamation points, quotation marks, language, semicolons, commas, and yes… apostrophes.
Anyway, my friend said that when a word or name ends in “s,”and we want to express a possessive, we add an apostrophe followed by an “s.”
I told her she was dead wrong. I claimed that the rule was different with words or names that end in “s” – if said word was a singular noun.
She argued back and proceeded to look it up in a grammar book.
I said it was nonsense.
I told her, “listen, my name is “Hendeles,” and I know how to spell “Hendeles’ book,” don’t I?
She said it is “Hendeles’s book.” I said it is “Hendeles’ book.”
Who is right?
I suggested we look it up in Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, and we will know the answer. (We did and my friend was right!).
Truth is that these days no one really cares. Did you know that in England they were debating abolishing the apostrophe from the language? Did you know that they wanted to eliminate – even ban — the apostrophe from street signs?
Why? They claim that apostrophes are cumbersome, take up too much space on the signs and are unnecessary.
Luckily, the ban was overruled, thanks to the Apostrophe Protection Society who ruled that apostrophes are here to stay.
I for one am happy about that.
I taught high school English for about a decade, and I was frustrated when students left out apostrophes from their writing, or added apostrophes where they (the apostrophes) didn’t belong, or even worse – when I corrected my students, they didn’t know what I was talking about!
They would spell “Yours” with the apostrophe. Ouch!
“Theirs” with an apostrophe. Ugh!
And “youre” without an apostrophe. Yikes!
Plural nouns are “apostrophe s?” Double and Triple Ouch!
I just have a pet peeve with all punctuation, whether they are semicolons, commas, or quotation marks – but especially apostrophes.
I guess we almost lost them, and so having them back, makes us appreciate them more. I’ve read posts by other writers who also bemoan the decline in reading and spelling skills with today’s generation. In fact, the English language, as we know it, is fading away.
I’m glad apostrophes are here to stay. What are your pet peeves?
Photo Credit: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=37250&picture=exclamation-mark-white
As a former English teacher, I hear you! The misuse of its/it’s drives me crazy.
Yup – I agree! And the list goes on…
I have the same pet-peeve. Even with spelling, I cannot handle how the schools can send out papers with errors… Over the past Holiday, my father, who is a respected, brilliant person, informed me that when one’s name ends with an H, and one wants to make it plural, one spells it ___H’S. I thought I remembered from one teacher in school that one would write ___HES. I was out-voted. True, I have not used grammar formally in many years, as I am not a writer :), but I was always interested and great at it!!!! But, no one would know the difference nowadays, nor care!!!
So true! People are just so carefree about punctuation these days.
I believe the reason there are so many spelling errors on display nowadays is quite simply because just about EVERYBODY sends text or twitters or writes blogs or has facebook. In other words, people are writing and messaging on a personal level and did not train for it.
Years ago, when I was a kid, the only writing you saw was the published works of authors and newspapers and magazines – all edited. The only other thing out there was advertising, usually posters and, yes, they sometimes had spelling mistakes (I remember laughing at them).
That said, worldwide and unknown to parents, the education system entered a phase of “it doesn’t matter” and things began to slip through. Same with maths.
It seems (to me, and this is purely opinion) that our governments actually desire a “dumb” population so there are fewer smart minds checking on the claimed science behind what they are doing. An uneducated population is, quite frankly, easier to control and less likely to question – right at a time when it’s all becoming dictatorial. It just seems too convenient a coincidence to be anything else, although I realize this is going off topic. Sorry!
As most things go in cycles, I’m hopeful that we will return to better sense in the classroom and higher educational standards in the basics (English, Maths and Science). I’m certain there are still people out there (young ones, too) who actually care about the written word. At least, I hope so.
Cheers! 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment. I guess there are those who care and those just don’t care. And ain’t nothin’ we’re gonna do about it. Hahahah. Right?
I completely hear what you are saying regarding the tangent you touched upon above! 🙂
🙂
I know that I constantly struggle with the apostrophe and whethere a word that ends with an S needs one or not in the sentence. I feel that the teaching of grammar must be a real challenge these days, especially when teachers have to battle the use of text speak and people wanting to add a bit of flavour to their writnig by making up their own crazy spellings.
This is a nightmare but it is also part of the ongoing evolution of language.
Discovered your blog via Carol’s Monthly Link Party. Pleasure to meet you 🙂
Victoria
My Daily Cuppa.com
Thanks – I find that the best way to teach grammar is through humor. Otherwise it’s going to be really boring for those who need the lessons! For the rest of us, it’s just preaching to the choir!
Thanks again for your comment.