WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! The poor apostrophe is on its own

Democrat-Gazette illustration/CELIA STOREY
Democrat-Gazette illustration/CELIA STOREY

These are dark times for grammar lovers. The Apostrophe Protection Society is giving up.

Retired British journalist John Richards, who founded the punctuation preservation group in 2001, has decided to abandon his struggle to urge people to use apostrophes correctly. He wrote this announcement recently (note that he uses a British spelling, which certainly makes sense):

"Fewer organisations and individuals are now caring about the correct use of the apostrophe in the English language. We, and our many supporters worldwide, have done our best, but the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!"

That makes me sad. I have written about Richards before. He spent many years writing letters to stores, government entities, advertising firms and organizations about their apostrophe abuses. People from all over the globe sent him examples of misplaced apostrophes.

I first emailed Richards seven years ago to ask him how the war was going. He answered, "Winning a few battles, but the armistice is still way off. However, we carry on fighting."

I emailed him this month to say I was sorry to hear he was giving up, and that I'd strive to carry on in the apostrophe cause. Now that he's 96, he deserves a rest. If you want to email him, he's at [email protected].

The apostrophe society's educational website features apostrophe guidelines, pointers on other grammar woes and links to other language sites. Best of all, it posts a multitude of apostrophe atrocities. Some involve missing or misplaced apostrophes, and others show excessive use.

Parking: Resident's and Visitor's only

Don't judge a book by it's movie

Ladie's

Men's short's

Massive clearan's

Don''t Leave Children''s Alone (huh?)

If your tagged your my friend

Do you want you're website on 1st page Google?

Tasty snax's

Buse's only

Todays special's

Chip's and Fishe's

[a hotel that] prides it'self on it's accessibility features ...

Richards left devotees and nondevotees with three simple rules on the use of apostrophes:

"They are used to denote a missing letter or letters, they are used to denote possession, and apostrophes are never, ever used to denote plurals."

The website — apostrophe.org.uk — says that since the announcement from Richards, traffic on the site has expanded exponentially. This is costly for the webmaster, so the site will close until 2020.

TOWARD VERSUS TOWARDS

Is it proper to use "toward" or "towards"?

Wrong: I'm leaning towards the éclair for dessert.

Right: I'm leaning toward the éclair for dessert.

The AP Stylebook said you are always to use "toward" in such cases. The British use "towards" most often. But quite a few Americans use "towards," too.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary provides a detailed history of the usages. For centuries, the "s" was randomly on the end. Both words were OK. After the 19th century, the British gravitated toward "towards," and the Americans were more likely to use "toward." The usage seems to be mere happenstance.

BRAVERY AND COURAGE

Again, I have learned some fine points about the language because of a reader's question. The words "bravery" and "courage" are listed as synonyms in the dictionary. The distinction, though, is tricky, and I'm not sure I'd be able to explain again a day later. Here goes.

Bravery is the ability to approach a dangerous situation without fear.

Courage is the power to do so despite feeling fear.

The definition of courage from the American Heritage Dictionary is: "The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence and resolution." It comes from the Latin root for "heart." The same dictionary is less helpful with the definition of bravery. It says bravery is the condition of having courage. Its root is from an Italian for meaning "bold." But it originally meant "wild, savage."

But the American Heritage Dictionary provided help with using the synonyms. It says the word brave is "frequently associated with an innate quality." And "courageous" implies an inner strength "that draws on principle or purpose as well as character."

OK, at this point in my research, things became a little less foggy.

The distinctions I found on other websites helped somewhat. A couple were sites that sought to inspire leadership skills.

Here's one summary: "With bravery, the action simply happens. But with courage, a decision must be made. The decision is whether you allow fear to become a barrier that keeps you from getting to the next level."

So, here's my takeaway from the research. Remember, this is my opinion. Bravery is good, but courage is more admirable. Bravery is something you're born with, and it's tinged with recklessness. Courage is a choice you make, and it's marked with nobility.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the two words.

LEAD VERSUS LED

I mentioned "plead" versus "pled" recently. "Plead" is prescribed by the AP Stylebook, while "pled" is generally shunned in formal writing. And it's because of that rule that I sometimes get confused and think "led" is wrong. It's not. "Lead" is the present tense for guiding or directing others. Its proper past tense is "led."

I led the group past the tacky tourist areas of London to find a proper high tea.

Trust that "led" is a perfectly acceptable word.

Sources: The Guardian, Grammar Party Blog, Pediaa, Linked In, The American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, The Apostrophe Protection Society, What's the Difference?

Reach Bernadette at

[email protected]

Style on 12/09/2019

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