A corporate plot to abolish the apostrophe?

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earthcalling
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Post by earthcalling »

I shouldn't really be noticing this stuff, but....

A branch of Sainsbury's supermarket near here has an area with clothes for women. The great big printed sign hanging over it says: Womens. This is a big company, with more money than you could shake a stick at, but they can't spell one English word correctly.

John Lewis are selling a very nice enamel box/tray, very handy for household cleaning products. On the side are the words: Housekeepers Box. Really? Someone should be told! It can't be good for their health...

I work for a large company whose survival depends on the value of the written word. An internal poster, produced by people whose job it is to produce internal posters, says: Lets talk about.... Even Microsoft Word suspects that's not right and gives you a handy green squiggle underneath to make you think twice. The accompanying memo said there would be no queens head on postage stamps issued by a private company. An official form asks for the employees pay number.

Is this down to ignorance, do you think? Sloppiness? A decline in educational standards? Or a deliberate strategy to do away with the apostrophe?
sjmarky
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Post by sjmarky »

Maybe the overuse of apostrophe's has used them all up.
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Caeristhiona
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Post by Caeristhiona »

That seems likely to me. As a copy-editor, I'm pretty appalled by what people don't know about their friendly little friend the Apostrophe.

Or for that matter, what people don't know about the definition of "possessive."
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PaulW
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Post by PaulW »

sjmarky wrote:Maybe the overuse of apostrophe's has used them all up.
Or maybe they have gone on strike.
Paul
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hefyd
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Post by hefyd »

It is fascinating how years of teaching can achieve the exact opposite of what is intended - it's not at all uncommon to see things like 'Teachers leader says 'Teacher's deserve better pay!'' Isn't this something the Apostropher Royal should be looking into ? And it has been said [NOT by me] that Welsh is a language that consists mainly of apostrophes - perhaps that's where they've all gone.hefyd
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earthcalling
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Post by earthcalling »

sjmarky wrote:Maybe the overuse of apostrophe's has used them all up.
Aah, that's good! :lol:
Bigbuckhunter
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Post by Bigbuckhunter »

Its not like its that big of a deal, is it? I mean whos still using apostrophes anyway? I dont think its a big deal and I dont know why its a bother to some people.

:D

Rob
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Post by catchpenny »

John Lewis are selling a very nice enamel box/tray, very handy for household cleaning products.
Is this proper English? Or a trick?
Anyone can read accurately. [i]I[/i] read with great expression.
Steampunk
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Post by Steampunk »

catchpenny wrote:
John Lewis are selling a very nice enamel box/tray, very handy for household cleaning products.
Is this proper English? Or a trick?
Can it be both? :D

This is one of those difference in usage between American english and the mother tongue. Collective nouns usually take the plural form in the UK, as opposed to the singular form in the US. For instance, we here in the US might say "Librivox is the leading distributor of free audio in the public domain" whilst our UK cousins might say "Librivox are the leading distributor of free audio in the public domain."

I imagine the American way sounds as odd to the Brits' ears as their way does to ours. But either is correct.

How does it work in Canada? More like the US, I would think, since the plural form always sounds to me distinctly British.


Jim
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Post by Hokuspokus »

I guess the apostrophes are all in Germany. Specially the apostrophes for the genitive. We have non here but people always use them. :wink:
earthcalling
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Post by earthcalling »

Steampunk wrote:
catchpenny wrote:
John Lewis are selling a very nice enamel box/tray, very handy for household cleaning products.
Is this proper English? Or a trick?
Can it be both? :D

This is one of those difference in usage between American english and the mother tongue. Collective nouns usually take the plural form in the UK, as opposed to the singular form in the US. For instance, we here in the US might say "Librivox is the leading distributor of free audio in the public domain" whilst our UK cousins might say "Librivox are the leading distributor of free audio in the public domain."

I imagine the American way sounds as odd to the Brits' ears as their way does to ours. But either is correct.

How does it work in Canada? More like the US, I would think, since the plural form always sounds to me distinctly British.


Jim
We just can't decide whether we're talking about the corporation as a unit or a collective, and switch from one to the other in the same sentence. Even on Radio 4, where quite frankly they ought to know better, you'll hear: "John Lewis have announced a 5% rise in profits in its retail stores." - or "... has announced... in their....".
FNH
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Post by FNH »

earthcalling wrote:Is this down to ignorance, do you think? Sloppiness? A decline in educational standards? Or a deliberate strategy to do away with the apostrophe?
I seriously believe that it's none of the above. The ' has had its day. It is dropping slowly out of the common useage. Language moves on, the written form must move after it or become useless. Personally I wouldn't miss it, I understood the meaning of the examples you gave, without the '. You can argue the "for" and the "against" of it but it is simply pointless, common useage will win.

:D

Oh , and while I'm going on and on, have I mentioned recently that books are doomed?

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ExEmGe
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Post by ExEmGe »

Quote:
John Lewis are selling a very nice enamel box/tray, very handy for household cleaning products.


Is this proper English? Or a trick?
Well, 'John Lewis' is an abbreviation for 'The John Lewis Partnership' which is singular so it's wrong.
Except that a partnership is by definition more than one person so it must be plural so it's correct.
Except that 'The John Lewis Partnership' is probably an abbreviation of 'The John Lewis Partnership plc' which is an incorporated body so it's singular so it's wrong.

I think.
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Andy Minter
catchpenny
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Post by catchpenny »

McDonald's are stopping using bad oils, which is clogging peoples (plural) arteries.

Walmart are deciding to have all their persons who work for them to practice calisthenics in the morning, to promote good-will amongst the people.

I'm on it.
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ExEmGe
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Post by ExEmGe »

Anyone interested in this sort of stuff might like
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article4743182.ece
Regards
Andy Minter
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