Remedial English classes for pupils with A* in GCSE English
This link is to a recent article in the Torygraph details how a bunch of guys at Harrow sat a literacy test before commencing their A level courses and 20 out of 160 failed. The article points to two main causes - incorrect spelling of simple words and the abuse of the apostrophe. I'm always amazed when I read something written by someone who uses the apostrophe as though it's for decoration, especially when people use it seemingly indiscriminately, as though there aren't any rules to heed.
When I started at grammar school, aged 12, we had a lesson in which we were told how to use the apostrophe. At university, people lost a not insubstantial amount of marks for dodgy punctuation, and particularly for abusing the apostrophe. So, I know how to use it. Some other parts of speech (when to use "whoever" as opposed to "whomever", for example. I had a discussion with a colleague about this and will probably post a link to a site that explains it when I find a decent explanation) are beyond me, and some complex punctuation (and syntax) does flow over my head sometimes, but generally I can make myself understood. The abuse of the apostrophe is one of my pet hates and means that I have to re-read a sentence because the sense of it has been so badly distorted.
2. Turn to the 35-odd pages on punctuation.
Or read my rather shorter, definitely less complex, brief summary. I'm only going to set out the basics. Plural forms of words and positioning of apostrophes will be left for another day. I'm usually correct but will gladly take comments.
General rule:
an apostrophe denotes EITHER missing letters OR ownership.
Examples:
Isn't - is not. The "O" is replaced by the apostrophe.
John's coming - John IS coming. The "I" replaced by the apostrophe.
John's book. The book of John. This denotes ownership (genitive).
Exceptions:
Its/ It's.
The only time you can use the apostrophe is where you are replacing a letter. So "it's" can ONLY mean "It is" and never denote ownership.
It's coming - it is coming. Fine to use the apostrophe here.
It's cold - again.
The aeroplane landed on it's wheels - Nope. Never. The apostrophe can't be used here because the sentence would then mean "the aeroplane landed on it is wheels".
And I can't work out how to use the spellcheck function on this blogger system. Anyone who can - could you tell me?
posted by Chaya at 10:41 am
4 Comments:
` YES!!!! I cannot stand it when people use apostrophes wrong! If this isn't stopped, we just won't have them anymore because they won't mean anything!
` Save the apostrophe!!!!
` P.S. I love that book! Sticklers Unite!
` BTW, I don't know how to use the spellcheck because I don't need it. ...Unlike those students, I have above-average punctuation/grammar/spelling skills - though I'd probably fail English if I ever took it.
Glad to hear others can be driven into a near-pathological rage at the sight of a misused apostrophe! Oh wait, you didn't actually say that.
I can generally spell quite well, but sometimes I have bloopers. They're rare - more rare than the mis-spelling (is there a hyphen in there?) words through typing too fast. I frequently end up with "yuo" and "thoguh". Anyway, the benefit of the spellcheck would be that it would spot them and save me proof-reading. I do enough of that at work so my "home" stuff is frequently incoherent and waffly. Case in point.
` I don't use spell-check anymore with Word because it will change words that I make up without my permission!
` Phudnik computer programs....
I am frequently accused (quite correctly) of misuse of the apostrophe. It's one of those things I can get right 80% of the time, and then there are times, like when you say your name over and over again and it appears to lose meaning, that I stare at a word and for the life of me cannot figure it out. I've worked out the difference between its and it's by now, but I still sometimes get confused when it comes to words such as Footballers' Wives. Does it go before the 's' or after it? Does it get an apostrophe at all? Very frustrating. By the way, I checked, and it does in fact comes after. Sometimes though it really is just a case of me typing too fast and wanting to get a post out, and not checking things properly, or writing late at night and then seeing my mistakes in the morning. I imagine it does make things difficult to read, but surely not serious enough to warrant pathalogical rage? Mea Culpa.
Right now my personal pet hates are people who don't pick up their dog's shit in the street, and which my lovely soon to be husband appears to have a tendency to stand in as he never looks down at the ground. Likewise people who spit on sidewalks, in fact any public place. Oh, and those that have conversations, take phonecalls or text message during movies.
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