| 'No matter that you have a PhD and have read all | | | | of personal choice. However, as with the Rules of |
| of Henry James twice,' writes Lynne Truss in her | | | | the Road, it is essential to stick to basics. |
| bestselling book, Eats, Shoots And Leaves; 'If you | | | | A Laughing Stock |
| persist in writing: 'Good food at it's best', you | | | | Birmingham City Council recently became a |
| deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on | | | | laughing stock by removing the punctuation mark |
| the spot and buried in an unmarked grave.' | | | | from place names such as Kings Norton, Acocks |
| What is the point of writing the perfect brochure | | | | Green. These and others, like St. Paul's Square, |
| or website copy if your marketing message | | | | were traditionally spelled with an apostrophe. Just |
| doesn't make sense, or the punctuation would get | | | | how many saints named Paul were there? Ask |
| a 'fail' in the classroom? The person considering | | | | Birmingham City Council. |
| whether to do business with you simply will not | | | | They say the decision was taken for financial |
| take you seriously if the words, sentences and | | | | reasons. So how much extra does it cost to put |
| paragraphs of your website, brochure or story | | | | an ' on a street name plate? They add that it |
| content is filled with schoolboy howlers. Eats | | | | was to achieve consistency across the city. Why |
| Shoots and Leaves could explain a Panda's | | | | not consistently use the correct spelling rather |
| favourite menu. On the other hand it could | | | | than the incorrect one? |
| describe what the gunslinger did, when; during a | | | | Utter Chaos |
| visit to his favourite cantina he found the food | | | | John Richards, founder of the Apostrophe |
| not to his liking. | | | | Protection Society says the decision was 'absolute |
| The latest to come under fire, but not from a | | | | defeatism'; it is setting a poor example. He points |
| Colt.45 revolver, is Jim Knight, the | | | | out that all over Birmingham, and in other cities |
| Cambridge-educated UK Member of Parliament. | | | | too, teachers are trying to teach children correct |
| His website blog, which he uses to communicate | | | | grammar and punctuation. Children will go around |
| with constituents, was littered with excruciatingly | | | | Birmingham and see utter chaos. He adds: 'If you |
| bad English. The word 'received' was spelled | | | | don't have apostrophes, is there any point in full |
| 'receieved' and archaeological appears as | | | | stops, or semi-colons, or question marks? Is there |
| archeaological. There are no excuses. The rest of | | | | any point in punctuation at all?' |
| his message is equally cringe-making. Jim Knight | | | | Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, |
| would you believe is the British Schools Minister. | | | | says: 'It is an abuse of the language to drop the |
| Is Proper Grammar Important? | | | | apostrophe. It sets children a terrible example, |
| If when browsing for a product or service, | | | | especially when schools are doing their best to |
| potential clients are confronted and insulted by | | | | help improve grammatical standards.' |
| sloppy grammar it sends out a clear message: | | | | How can you be sure the copy content of your |
| 'We are a slapdash outfit.' Would you trust them | | | | website or brochure copy is likely to impress your |
| to repair your car? Would you be confident of a | | | | customer and add to their confidence? If you |
| chiropodist who suggested you might be alergic or | | | | cannot imagine it on a main news website or |
| the problem might stem from a sports injiry? Of | | | | online quality newspaper then it simply isn't good |
| course all languages are in a constant state of flux | | | | enough. |
| and much of it, including writing style, is a matter | | | | |