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uk Evening Post, Wednesday, September 2, 2009 15

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Where the
Poor grammar is local web stories
plaguing Preston

streets
street signs, lep.co.uk
according to Evening Post
online
English language
purists. CHRIS
VISSERS – or
more accurately
Chris Visser’s –

have no (grammatical)
report explains
more...

shame
No4: Shop heartbreak
New deals doubtful
before transfer deadline
Man arrested following
fatal smash
Irvine looks to
strengthen squad
before deadline
Bridal shop closure
causes heartbreak
‘Rogue drivers’ tip-off
backfires on cabbies
WRONG! WRONG! Also in
day2day

TODAY ’S
CHOICE 11.30

12.15
1.00

1.30

1.45
2.15

WRONG! 3.00

3.05

At-a-glance
TV guide
PAGE 34

EDGING BETS...One’s right, the other’s not

T
HE Queen’s English is more
like “Queens English” in Pre-
ston. Apostrophes have been
blacklisted on road and street
signs in the city – because they appar-
ently cause confusion and create er-
rors.
But the controversial omissions have
sparked a furious backlash from Eng-
lish language campaigners who want all
apostrophes returned to city signs.
In a statement, which features no apos-
trophes, the city council says: “As a
general rule we try to avoid the use of
apostrophes in our road and street
signs.
“Like many other councils we believe
they can cause confusion among resi-
dents, and also increase the risk of in-
consistency and errors.
“This does not, however, stop the signs
from conforming to the relevant British
Standard. This specifies a standard for-
mat for geographic references that the
council always adheres to”.
But the Queen’s English Society
(QES), which campaigns for better
standards of English, has hit out at city
road names such as St Pauls Square and
St Margarets Close in Ingol – instead of
St Paul’s Square or St Margaret’s Close
– saying they are setting a bad example
to youngsters learning basic grammar.
Other examples include St Clares Av-
enue in Fulwood and St Vincents
Road, also in Fulwood.
Martin Estinel, founder of the QES
academy, blames the city council.
He says: “We would say to Preston
Council that the
apostrophe is a charac-
teristic of our language –
you can’t decide adminis-
tratively that you are going
to change the nature of the
language.
“Young people will walk to school and
walk through ‘St Pauls Square’ and re-
member the way it is written and have
no idea of where the apostrophe should
go.
“Not only are they flying in the face of a
long tradition of our language but they
are contributing to its demise – it’s a
double whammy.”
John Richards, founder of the Apostro-
phe Protection Society, agrees.
He says: “This is a totally backwards
step and I have protested about this
several times elsewhere. We have
talked about the disservice that it’s
doing to children.
“If they got the signs right every time,
there would be consistency.
“They should get the apostrophe cor-
rect and put it in. Puzzles
“When they remove a sign or change it,
they should correct it.”
& Stars
Apostrophes have hit the headlines with Russell
elsewhere in the country after so-called Grant
‘Apostrophe Man’ Stefan Gatward, of
Royal Tunbridge Wells, was branded a
vandal for using a paintbrush to add a
missed apostrophe on a sign outside a
home in St Johns Close.
PAGE 35
Meanwhile, authorities such as Salford
Council in Greater Manchester have
been issuing advice to staff about how
to use apostrophes correctly.
The QES has also been in an ongoing
battle with Birmingham Council after it
decided to remove apostrophes from
just a click away
new street signs. lep.co.uk