THERE has never been so much debate over the use of a punctuation mark, other than the apostrophe.
There is even the Apostrophe Protection Society, a United Kingdom society that has “the specific aim of preserving the correct use of this currently much abused punctuation mark”.
In 2009, Birmingham city council banned the use of the apostrophe on its signs. East Stratfordshire, East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire city councils have also ditched the apostrophe.
There are basic rules about the use of the apostrophe: to denote a shortened form (eg. can’t ) and possession (eg. the child’s toy).
Apostrophes are never used to denote plurals.
When I walk down the street, I see scores of examples of the misuse of this little punctuation.
At first, I was shocked, as this is an English-speaking country, but having seen so many mistakes made, I wonder whether the children have been taught correctly in school or whether putting apostrophes anywhere has become the rule of the thumb.
It is not uncommon to see CD’s sold here, Cheap clothes’ for sale, Menu’s to suit your taste, just to name a few.
Even in the local newspaper, I see advertisements like, Great food. Under 12’s eat free and Free flowers for all the mum’s.
Because people do not like to have their mistakes pointed out, the Apostrophe Protection Society has a carefully worded statement: “We are aware of the way the English language is evolving during use, and do not intend any direct criticism of those who have made mistakes, but are just reminding all writers of English text, whether on notices or in documents of any type, of the correct usage of the apostrophe should you wish to put right mistakes you may have inadvertently made.”
It is strange that something so wrong can be accepted over time, either because those who know no longer bother to correct or to teach or have become confused themselves. Perhaps those who use it wrongly have convinced themselves it is the right thing to do.
This reminds me of how societal values or expectations have evolved over time. Practices that were seen as wrong in one generation are accepted in the next generation.
So who do we blame for this present state of affairs? Or is it time we see it as a wake-up call and take responsibility?
Take drinking alcohol, smoking and premarital sex, for instance.
One of the things I would not do is to buy alcohol or cigarettes for others from duty-free shops when I travel.
As I do not smoke or drink, I believe I should not encourage others to smoke or drink either. To me it is akin to abuse.
I do not subject my body to abuse, so why should I peddle such goods?
According to a News Central report in April 2010, almost half of all Irish 15- to 16-year-old teenagers have been drunk in the past 12 months. This is based on a survey carried out by a European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, and confirms that Ireland has one of the highest rates of drunkenness among its teenage population.
The latest edition of Tobacco
Atlas places Irish youths in the second worst tier — with between 16 per cent to 29.9 per cent of teenage boys and girls here aged as young as 13 having already started smoking.
It is no longer surprising that chastity is seldom valued and having partners (living together) and children out of wedlock are totally acceptable.
The 2011 This is Ireland Census revealed that 40,022 people in 2011, compared with 29,322 people in 2006, live together and have premarital sex.
One of my married friends was at a hair salon when the topic of premarital sex cropped up. Her hairdresser expressed total shock that she did not co-habit with her husband before they were married.
In another instance, I was so insulted when someone in the neighbourhood asked me whether my legally-wedded husband was my lived-in live-in partner!
Terms like sexual promiscuity is now deemed politically incorrect.
One in 10 university students have contracted a sexually transmitted infection, according to a survey of 419 students attending the University of Limerick conducted between July and August 2012.
More than 40 per cent believed STIs did not pose long-term health effects and 60 per cent were reluctant to attend a college health clinic about it.
About 90 per cent of students said they were sexually active, with 11 per cent of males reporting sexual intimacy with other males, the respective figure for females standing at five per cent. Three per cent of respondents believed it was impossible to become pregnant when having sex for the first time.
Indeed, times have changed, and not necessarily for the better. It has been said that groupthink is powerful and justification is available for every integrity-compromised action.