I am a fanatic about punctuation. What? Are you sure? Did no one listen when their sixth grade language arts teacher was teaching about punctuation? Comma. Period. Exclamation point. Question mark. Semicolon. Colon. Apostrophe. They all have their own little place in this crazy mixed up world. They all have a specific function that is designed to allow the reader to evoke feeling, to pause and reflect, create a tone or mood. Yes, bad punctuation is one of my biggest pet peeves (see my Bad Signs post). Earlier this year, I purchased an "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" daily desk calendar based on the bestselling book. If you've never read the book, read it! It will change your whole view of punctuation and grammar. The following is the author's (Lynne Truss) take on apostrophe:"Here are the weapons required in the apostrophe war: correction fluid; big pens; stickers cut in a variety of sizes; both plain (for sticking over unwanted apostrophes) and coloured (for inserting where apostrophes are needed); tin of paint with big brush; guerrilla-style clothing; strong medication for personality disorder; loudhailer; gun."
I believe this war will never end. I recently saw an ad for a local video production business that read "Love Story Video's. Short video's to share with family and friends." This made me sad, especially since I know the owner. :(
