I must call an emergency meeting of the Grammar Nazi Party

[Blue_Tires]

THIS MAN NEEDS OUR SUPPORT:

Apostrophist corrects punctuation on street signs

Stefan Gatward, a 62-year-old accountant, has been called a vandal and graffiti artist after he corrected the punctuation on his street signs.

Frustrated by living in "St Johns Close", in Turnbridge Wells, Mr Gatward decided to buy a can of black paint and a craft brush before correcting the name to "St John's Close".

Mr Gatward, a former soldier, said: "I think one should stand up for things and language is worth standing up for. The trouble is that everything is dumbed down now.

"I've lived on St John's Close for 14 months now and have had to look at those signs every day. I decided enough was enough."

While some neighbours have praised his actions, others have been less appreciative, including another ex-soldier.

"He asked me what I was doing and told me I was wrong," Mr Gatward said. "He called me a vandal and a graffiti artist.

"He tried to tell me that the post office would not deliver to the street if you put an apostropheo n the address."

Mr Gatward, who served with the Gordon Highlands in the 1960s, said of the other man, who served in Afghanistan: "I've been to three universities. I don't know it all but I still know a lot more than a mere corporal."

Following the confrontation, Mr Gatward corrected the rest of the street signs.

A Tunbridge Wells Borough Council spokesman said they would not be following the example of Birmingham City Council, which announced this year that they would be banning the apostrophe from road signs for simplicity.

The spokesman added that were the signs ever to be replaced, they would be punctuated correctly.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6046862/Apostrophist-corrects-punctuation-on-street-signs.html

[moggie]

1. "language is worth standing up for"

Mein Fuehrer, he ended a sentence in a preposition!

[Strong Atheist]

2. That is something up with which I can not

put.

[Swede]

4. It are?

[Dogtown]

6. Also failed to correct the abbreviated "Saint"

It should have a period behind it.

[rug]

3. If he lived in Wales he'd go insane.

[cloudbase]

5. I hope he doesn't

loose his focus.

[kentauros]

7. The other soldier is also wrong about USPS delivery capabilities.

My street sign ends with "DR" yet the USPS insists it's "ST". So, most mail delivered here uses "ST" despite what the sign says. All those years I used "DR" while the Post Office used "DT" and my mail still arrived. Can't say it always arrived in pristine condition, but I think some postal carriers thrive on mangling my mail because I have a tiny mailbox

Good for Gatward, though. I see a future for him in billboard culture-jamming, too :P