IN this age of collapsing grammar, I am sure that I am not alone in being fascinated and at times distressed, by the variety of applications and misuses of the gallant apostrophe. Along with many other failings in current presentations of the written word, not least of all within journalistic pieces, the apostrophe stands out as the most abused. It suffers this ignominy along with wrongly applied plurals, possessives, other misplaced punctuations and prepositions, to name but a few.
While recognising that language is a living entity and as such is forever developing, changing, evolving and adapting to suit the times in which we live, surely the basic tenets of grammar must be maintained to ensure sound formats of communication and to preserve our sanity.
My most recent aggravation arose while driving along Duntocher Road in Bearsden where, on passing our brand new primary school, I was dismayed to see that its sign read; St Nicholas’ Primary School, complete with its isolated, atrocious apostrophe. If the intention of the establishment is to identify the school as being that of St Nicholas, then as a singular proper noun ending in the letter (s) surely it should carry the apostrophe (‘s) so as to read “St Nicholas’s Primary School”. If however, the establishment does not wish to express the singular possessive form, then the title should simply read; St Nicholas Primary School.
This dichotomy will of course apply to all of their printed and promotional documents, online sites and profiles, badges and other items of uniform. I can only imagine and sympathise with, the understandable confusion for pupils, when they observe other versions of the singular possessive form of proper nouns ending in the letter(s), such as in the St James’s Centre, which is only one obvious example.
The Oxford English Dictionary recognises the confusion which is evident within the developing changes to our grammar. It applies particular emphasis on the subject of apostrophes, as they apply to proper nouns ending with the letter (s). This much revered guiding tome is quite content to allow such applications to be flexible, while always being governed by how sensibly they read and how comfortable they sound. This certainly makes good sense to me, for I do recall such a dilemma arising while, as a child, I was learning of and trying to understand proper nouns with their plural, singular and possessive forms. On a daily basis, I passed a local dairy owned by a company named Ross. The sign on their building read “Ross’s Dairies” and although it sounded fine, I did wonder about it having three letters (s). My English teacher clarified that this was indeed grammatically correct but added also, from her depth of wisdom, that “In most instances of English grammar, if it sounds right then it probably is right”.
This adage has always served me well, especially when questioning examples such as the foregoing, since the school sign in question is not definitive, nor does it read comfortably, therefore it fails the infallible test.
Ian Cooper,
Flat 3/3 1 Jackson Place, Bearsden.
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