Apostrophe Catastrophe: And Other Grammatical Grumbles

by Patrick C. Notchtree

The apostrophe causes more problems in the English language than any other aspect of grammar. Grown adults with a university education don't know how to use it properly, and our high streets are filled with examples of its misuse. Join the pedants as they revolt against our misuse of this essential piece of punctuation and learn how to use the apostrophe - once and for all.

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Patrick now lives in the north of England with his wife and has his son and granddaughters nearby. Much of his life is reflected in the biographical trilogy "The Clouds Still Hang", so to repeat too many biographical details here would be something of a 'spoiler'!
The memoir was my first book. My fifth book is now out on Kindle and paperback, called "Maxym".

Reviews

[Anika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative, funny rant and guide of how to use an apostrophe correctly, along with other grammatical misconceptions. However I did think the Q&A section was a bit tedious. There was no need to publish that in the book. All of the questions were asking the same thing with the same errors over and over again... things that had been covered in the book itself! The Q&A took up half of the book! He couldve left his Q&A on the website...but other than that a pretty easy and interesting read - finished it in like an hour.

[Samantha Tams Betts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lack of Oxford comma under One Easy Rule bothered me: “every time the letter ‘s’ ends a word - for plurals, possessives and contractions alike.” I interpreted this to mean that singular words cannot end in ‘s’ and that the incorrect use he is referring to only pertains to possessives and contractions that are plural. In a writing book not specific to punctuation, I may not have been bothered by this, but it seems out of place given the authors convictions on using punctuation to reduce ambiguity.

That being said, I really enjoyed most of the rest of the book. It was sometimes repetitive in the FAQ section. I learned a lot and my mind was changed on a few topics. I appreciated the clarity regarding its and it’s. The refresher on plurals was helpful. I will be adding the ‘s’ after a singular possessive ending in s from now on (ex. my sis’s shirt). I will also be more mindful of the difference between fewer and less.

[Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't truly speak to how easily understood the author's single rule for apostrophe placement is; I picked up Apostrophe Catastrophe for entertainment and a little validation rather than educational purposes. I was glad to be challenged by some of the FAQs. Although I'd describe my grammar as decent, a few questions gave me pause.

I would, though, have liked the FAQ section to have been streamlined. Thematically, perhaps - based on different traps people might fall into. It was unnecessarily repetitive to provide so many examples of simple mistakes. I would have preferred to see more space spent on more complex issues.

I liked that the author was clear that the answer isn't always clear. Possession vs description is particularly open to debate. I would suggest that this differentiation merits an additional section to the book, particularly given a lack of clarity in why the author might label one noun a defacto adjective and and another possessive.

I'm glad that the author mentioned the ever-changing nature of living language. Although I spend a large chunk of my working life bemoaning the terribly written signs and documents, I'm not a true purist. Our words change as the voices of our society change and that's how it should be. As the author says, though, that doesn't mean there can't be best practice.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BAY RESERVED FOR GOOD’S VEHICLES ONLY.

Good for him, I say.



The excessively long and apparently unorganised Q&A section slightly lets this down. Plus I disagree that ‘bachelor degree’ is better than something with an s and/or an apostrophe — just try it with, e.g. ‘master degree’! (What, is that a degree that unlocks everything?)

[MyImpossibleList · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Easy to understand. I wish there was more though.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book as it lacked the humour I expected, leaving me with what felt like an English lesson littered with cringeworthy pictures!