The decline of the apostrophe

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apostrophes.mp3

Georgina

Hello This is 6 Minute English, I'm Georgina

Rob

And I'm Rob

Georgina

Are you a punctuation pedant? Do you get upset, annoyed or angry if you see

punctuation being used incorrectly – particularly apostrophes?

Rob

Well, it depends Usually I’m pretty chilled out about it, but sometimes, just

sometimes it really winds me up For example, if I see a sign for taxis at a train

station and it says taxi – apostrophe - s – aargh! Why – why? The apostrophe is

not used to show there is more than one, it’s used to show there is a missing

letter or that the word is a possessive – it’s just wrong! So that does kind of make

my blood boil

Georgina

So, when you say you’re pretty chilled about it you mean…

Rob

OK, I’m not chilled at all But maybe I wish I were

Georgina

Well, we’re going to be taking a look at reactions to the use and abuse of

apostrophes in this programme But first, a question The word ‘apostrophe’

itself – which language does it come from? Is it:

A: Latin

B: Greek

C: Arabic

What do you think, Rob?

Rob

I don’t think it’s Arabic, so it’s a toss-up between Latin and Greek I’m going to

say Greek

Georgina

OK We’ll see if you’re correct at the end of the programme The apostrophe, it is

true to say, is often misused It’s put where it shouldn’t be and not used where it

should be Is it important, though? Does it matter? After all, in spoken English

there is no difference between ‘it’s’ with an apostrophe and ‘its’ without ‘Your’

and ‘you’re’ – short for ‘you are’ sound the same So what’s the problem in

written English?

Rob

In many cases there isn’t a problem at all There would be very little confusion

But I don’t think that means we should just ignore the correct way to use them

Sometimes it can be very important to make clear if it’s a singular or plural or

possessive Another important thing to remember is that in CVs and job

applications a good standard of spelling and punctuation is expected Get it

wrong and you could miss out on a good opportunity

Georgina

There is one group that has tried for nearly 20 years to keep others to these high

standards - The Apostrophe Protection Society They have publicly pointed out

incorrect use in public signs and communications – a tactic that has not always

been welcome or successful But like the apostrophe itself, the group is in danger

Here’s a BBC news report on the subject

Duncan Kennedy, BBC reporter

They linger above our letters, they wander around the endings of our words, but

apostrophes, it seems, are an endangered species The Apostrophe Protection

Society – yes there really is one – says their future is, well, up in the air

Georgina

How does he describe apostrophes?

Rob

Using metaphorical, poetic language, he says they linger above our letters

To linger is a verb usually used to describe someone or something staying

somewhere before finally leaving

Georgina

So, we have apostrophes lingering above our letters and also he said

they wander around the ending of words

Rob

Yes, also a metaphorical use To wander means to walk slowly around without

any real purpose or urgency

Georgina

And he went on to say that the future of the apostrophe is up in the air When

something is up in the air, it means its future is not certain, it’s not guaranteed

So if, for example, your holiday plans are up in the air, it means that there is

some kind of problem and you might not be going on holiday after all The

person who founded The Apostrophe Protection Society is John Edwards Now

96 years old he has decided to give it up Partly because of his age, but also

because he thinks that due to the impact of texting and social media he has lost

the battle against bad punctuation So why has it come to this? Here he is

explaining why he thinks people aren’t bothered about using correct punctuation

John Edwards

I think it’s a mixture of ignorance and laziness They’re too ignorant to know

where it goes, they’re too lazy to learn so they just don’t bother

The barbarians have won

Georgina

So what’s his reason?

Rob

He blames ignorance and laziness Ignorance is a lack of knowledge or

understanding of something So people don’t know the rules and are too lazy to

learn them, according to Edwards

Georgina

Quite strong views there!

Rob

Yes, and you thought I was a pedant! He actually goes further to say that

the barbarians have won Barbarian is a historical word for people who weren’t

part of so-called civilized society They were seen as violent and aggressive,

primitive and uncivilized

Georgina

So it’s not a compliment then?

Rob

Oh no!

Georgina

Right, before we review today’s vocabulary, let’s have the answer to today’s quiz

Which language does the word apostrophe come from? What did you say?

Rob

I went for Greek

Georgina

Congratulations to you and anyone else who got that right Greek is the right

answer Now let’s remind ourselves of today’s vocabulary First, what’s

a pedant, Rob?

Rob

A pedant is someone who corrects other people’s small mistakes – particularly in

grammar and punctuation – but it’s not the same as an English teacher!

A pedant will correct native speakers’ mistakes too, and not in the classroom

Georgina

To linger means to stay somewhere for longer

 

Rob

To wander is to walk around without a real purpose or intention to get

somewhere quickly

Georgina

If your plans are up in the air, it means they are at risk and might not happen

Rob

Ignorance is the state of not knowing something that should be known

Georgina

And finally, a barbarian is a word for a primitive and uncivilized person Right, we

can’t linger in this studio as our six minutes are up You can find more from us

about punctuation and many other aspects of English online, on social media and

on the BBC Learning English app Bye for now

Rob

Bye

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