Education - it's a blessing and it's a curse. Perhaps if Adam had not eaten of the tree of knowledge, we would all be going around in blissful ignorance. However, since there is knowledge in the world, it seems only reasonable to expect a modicum of education from those around me.

When I was taught how to use the apostrophe, I remember both how succinctly it was described and how easily I understood the rules. Although there are some tricky coves in the use of this punctuation mark, it is a fairly straightforward tool with a pretty specific job. Unfortunately, these days, people are not so much taught the rules as given enough examples to get the general idea. My hatred of the misused apostrophe is a product of both my indignation at people's incomprehension of the simple rules, and my fears that publicly displayed bad examples will make the situation worse (for the next generation, who only learn by example).

Apostrophell is where I will name and shame the abusers of this innocuous mark and where I will demonstrate the effects of taking action to remedy its misuse. It will not be a pleasant journey. In particular, the advent of cheap home-made printing, via the humble PC, means that it is even easier to put an erroneous sign into print.

Please join me. If you can, please take direct action and let me know the results.

21 November 2000
Ashley Frieze