Following my earlier post on apostrophes, and because I’m planning more blogs about grammar and punctuation, I thought I’d post this, to find out people’s views on whether or not punctuation still matters.

There’s a running joke in our family that we’re all obsessed with spotting punctuation errors on signs, adverts and websites. Both my parents were teachers at one point, and with qualifications in English and journalism myself, we’re probably more aware than most when it comes to typos.

Is Punctuation Still Important?

But does it matter? There are plenty of people who say that it doesn’t, because the meaning of the word or sentence is still clear. I disagree – at best it shows laziness, at worst a lack of professionalism. How can a business hope to be taken seriously if they haven’t taken the time to check their copy?

You may have seen the recent news story regarding Cambridge City Council’s decision to get rid of apostrophes on street signs, claiming they confused the emergency services. Those opposed to the move said it sent out the wrong message to students and that they help to explain the history of an area.

Last year I read news stories expressing both points of view: Apprentice contestant Luisa Zissman defended her decision not to use an apostrophe in her new business name, saying that it “looked better” and that for branding and marketing purposes it isn’t necessary.

By contrast, author Terri Bruce prevented her publisher from releasing her latest books, which was full of grammatical errors, claiming it made her look like “an illiterate git”.

Regardless of your personal opinion, the internet is full of stories of how poor punctuation and grammar has cost people jobs or contracts, and most employers and universities still place an emphasis on getting these right. If you really don’t know where to put your apostrophe, ask someone who does.

Acknowledgements:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23806585
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/12/terri-bruce-stops-publisher-error?CMP=twt_fd