January 2026 Newsletter

Welcome to the January 2026 newsletter

If you're a new member, you've already had a personal welcome — but let me say it again: Welcome! And to all our long-standing members, thank you, as always, for your continued support.

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Apostrophes in the media

There have been a few media references to the APS over the last couple of months. As an example of how interest in the APS and the apostrophe is spread across the English-speaking world, I was contacted by the Hindustan Times (the second largest English language newspaper in India). They interviewed me about the APS and subsequently printed an article back in September last year. For those of you who might be interested, I've posted a copy of the article on the Blog pages on the website apostrophe.org.uk/blog.

Closer to home, a recent story in The Guardian newspaper in the UK referred to the APS, and included links to the infamous Yorkshire apostrophe story "Gerrit in t'bin" from August 2024. My real reason for mentioning it (though it's a good story — see the Blog pages) is that it generated a small surge in new members citing the article. A particular welcome to those new members!

And finally, an almost breaking-news article from 29th January, also from The Guardian newspaper, reporting on an abomination in Cardiff, Wales, where a retailer of vape supplies has a sign proclaiming "WALE’S LARGEST VAPE SHOP". It'll appear on the Rogues' Gallery on the website soon!

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Apostrophe Focus: Whose milk is it anyway?

Writers are often unsure how to identify correctly whether milk or cheese is from one type of animal or another. Should we write "cow's milk" or "cows' milk"? The confusion arises from the rule about where to put the apostrophe in singular or plural possessors. The apostrophe should go before the "s" for a singular possessor (e.g. the dog's kennel) but after the "s" for a plural (e.g. two dogs' kennels).

But with milk it's different. The number of cows involved in the milking is irrelevant — it might have been a single cow, or it might have been multiple cows. It's irrelevant because the key factor is the kind of animal that produced the milk rather than the number of them. Think of it as "the milk of an animal known as a cow" rather than "the milk of a specific cow". So for normal use, it's "cow's milk" or "goat's cheese" or "lamb's wool".

The only occasion where you would be correct in putting the apostrophe after the "s" is if you are referring to the milk of specific cows. For example: "I have two herds of cows. These cows' milk is creamy, but those cows' milk is watery." Unless you're making that specific reference, stick with "cow's milk".

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Can a missing apostrophe really change the meaning of a sentence?

I'm quite often asked for examples of how a missing apostrophe can change the meaning of a sentence. I'm indebted to a contributor on a related Facebook group for this one that she saw in a book by Veronica Roth. It conjures up a wonderful image of builders indulging in a noble sport, but would be quite boring if the intended apostrophe had been included:

"She could see a building surrounded by builders fencing up ahead."

If you've got a particularly good example of the importance of an apostrophe, do let me have it.

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25 Years of Protecting the Apostrophe

We have a significant anniversary happening this year! The Apostrophe Protection Society was started in 2001 by the late John Richards. While I can't find an exact date for its first breath, the original website seems to have started in June that year, so I'm going to treat that as the actual anniversary date. I don't have any celebratory activities planned yet, but I will try to get the media interested. Watch this space!

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The Origin of the Misplaced Apostrophe

I was contacted by one of our APS members, Andy Robb, a couple of months ago to tell me about a new book he has written and has had published called "The Origin of the Misplaced Apostrophe". 

"The Origin of the Misplaced Apostrophe is a brilliantly absurd comedy that will have readers laughing out loud before then checking their own punctuation with a new level of gusto."

I like new levels of gusto, so I've added the book to the APS Store page on the website. I'm always happy to give a mention to author-members who publish apostrophe-related material.

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That's all for this month. Thank you again for being part of the APS. Your support — and your passion for punctuation — is always appreciated.

Best wishes,

Bob

Bob McCalden

Apostrophe Protection Society

www.apostrophe.org.uk