Thursday 12 January 2012

Waterstone?s

A further nail in the coffin of the apostrophe? Waterstone's, a purveyor of books on all subjects - including English grammar and punctuation - has decided to drop the apostrophe from its name to make it easier for users in this digital age. One can only assume that they are busy tearing pages out of the grammar books they purvey and that their usually educated and helpful staff are being put through emergency English lessons.
Howls of horror from the Apostrophe Protection Society, as is only right but, one suspects, not much other negative reaction as few people actually know the rules and, it seems, even fewer care.
Perhaps Mr Daunt, the current MD, comes from Birmingham where they decided to drop the apostrophe from all road names a couple of years ago.
Three cheers for the march of progress, then?

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