According to the University of Sussex, “The apostrophe is the most troublesome punctuation mark in English, and perhaps also the least useful. No other punctuation mark causes so much bewilderment or is so often misused.”
Generations of schoolchildren will no doubt agree with this. Why, for example, does somebody’s name use a possessive apostrophe – ‘John’s’ – whereas the neuter pronoun ‘it’ does not? You also have the whole messy business around plural possessives – ‘the boys’ shoes’ or ‘the kittens’ toys’ for example. To make matters worse, there are the irregular nouns that change when they become plural, like ‘children’s games’ or ‘women’s studies’.
The fact that many of us never quite master the rules is evidenced in the well-known trope of the ‘greengrocers’ apostrophe’ (note my correct usage there!). Signs like ‘pea’s’ or worse, ‘potatoe’s’ are often cited, but such slips are not restricted to any particular profession – apostrophe abuse is widespread. Even Transport for London add to the confusion. St James’s Park or Barons Court – some underground stations have apostrophes in their names, while others do not.
Finally, apostrophes are accused of confusing computers and ticketing machines. Some databases use the symbol as part of their code, which causes problems for people with apostrophes as part of their name – as many exasperated O’Briens, O’Learys and O’Sullivans could testify.
Do we need the apostrophe?
So is it time we ditched the apostrophe and made life easier for everyone? Some would say yes. There’s even a website dedicated to its abolition. And surely now, in this high-tech age, smooth running of IT systems should take priority over a mere punctuation mark that many people believe is dispensable?
However, recent attempts to do just that by North Yorkshire council have been met with wrath by many residents, who have complained about falling standards. The missing apostrophe from the sign for St Mary’s Walk in Harrogate has even driven some previously law-abiding citizen to vandalism when a person or persons unknown used a marker pen to replace it.
The usual argument in favour of the apostrophe is that it brings clarity – especially when used for elision (replacing a missing letter or letters). Imagine the confusion if we removed the apostrophe from ‘we’re’ or ‘can’t’. Even the neuter pronoun confusion is easily explained to those learning correct usage: ‘its’ doesn’t have an apostrophe, in line with ‘his’ or ‘hers’.
But what about the computer issue? “It’s lazy coding” one computer expert told me. “It’s perfectly possible to avoid this problem, it just means people have to apply the relevant protocols. Sometimes, people find it easier not to bother.” Presumably, the same ones who struggled with apostrophes at school.
It’s going nowhere!
Finally, it appears that the outraged citizens of Harrogate have won their battle against incorrect punctuation. Less than a fortnight after the article in The Guardian, North Yorkshire Council have followed the example of both Devon and Cambridge councils who had also previously tried to remove apostrophes from road signs and have reinstated the apostrophes.
So, despite its reputation as our ‘most troublesome punctuation mark’, it looks like the apostrophe is going nowhere for the time being. This will be music to the ears of the Apostrophe Protection Society, whose Chairman Bob McCalden said that dropping it in names such as St Mary’s Walk was just incorrect spelling and ignored the history behind the name.
The University of Sussex concluded sternly: “It is a blunt fact that the incorrect use of apostrophes will make your writing look illiterate more quickly than almost any other kind of mistake. I’m afraid, therefore, that, if you find apostrophes difficult, you will just have to grit your teeth and get down to work.”
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