July 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to the July 2025 newsletter from the Apostrophe Protection Society.

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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A Milestone: 5,000 Members!

I’m delighted to share that we’ve reached a major milestone: 5,000 signed-up members.

When I relaunched the APS in February 2022, then opened membership a year later, I thought 500 members would be an ambitious goal. That we’ve reached ten times that number is both humbling and inspiring — thank you all for helping us get here.

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Semicolons in the Spotlight

You may have noticed a recent flurry of media articles about the semicolon — another oft-misunderstood punctuation mark. Interestingly, it's not so much misused as it is underused.

Semicolons are particularly helpful for joining two related independent clauses — stronger than a comma, but not quite a full stop. While the APS will remain firmly apostrophe-focused, you might enjoy this article from The Conversation, which explores the semicolon’s decline and even gives the APS a mention: Read the article

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Website Refresh

In the last newsletter, I mentioned a planned update to the APS website — I’m pleased to say it’s now live!

You’ll find:

• An extended section on apostrophe use, including some less common examples

• A photo slider on the homepage with recent apostrophe blunders (thanks to those who submitted them!)

• A general polish across the site to make it more user-friendly

Feel free to take a look and let me know what you think: Visit the website

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International Apostrophe Day – 15 August

August is almost upon us — which means it’s nearly time to celebrate International Apostrophe Day on 15th August.

First suggested by a Guardian columnist in 2011, it’s a small but meaningful way to raise awareness of proper punctuation. As far as I know, no other punctuation mark has its own day — so do join me in giving the apostrophe its due in just a couple of weeks’ time!

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A Witty Word from a Member

APS member David Withey has written and produced a delightful satirical audiobook titled Beware of the Old Bull. It’s a clever and entertaining look at the rise of hype, buzzwords and “management speak” — and its effect on clear communication.

The APS even gets a mention! Available now from all the usual audiobook platforms.

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Apostrophe Focus: Attributive Nouns

One of the more confusing areas of apostrophe usage involves attributive nouns — nouns that function like adjectives to describe another noun. Most examples of this involve a singular attributive noun - for example, "a government official", "a bottle opener", "business ethics". However, when the first noun in a compound pair is plural, it can become difficult to decide whether the first noun is act­ing as a noun that ought to be show­ing pos­ses­sion, or as an attributive noun acting as an adjective.

Take, for instance, the term “farmers market.” Should there be an apostrophe?

Typically, no. Although “farmers” is a plural noun, in this context it functions attributively — describing the kind of market, not indicating possession. The phrase is used in a descriptive, not possessive, way.

Still, it’s easy to see why this trips people up — especially when the first noun is plural. The key is to consider whether the noun is acting as an owner or as a descriptor. In most public signage and publications, “farmers market” appears without an apostrophe, and that’s widely accepted.

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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