This website is for those who want to remove the apostrophe from the English language, on the basis that it serves only to annoy those who know how it is supposed to be used and to confuse those who dont.
WHY KILL THE APOSTROPHE?
First, apostrophes are redundant. The number of cases where they make a semantic difference is absolutely minuscule (see below).
Second, they are wasteful. Tremendous amounts of money are spent every year by businesses on proof readers, part of whose job is to put apostrophes in the ‘correct’ place – to no semantic effect whatsoever. And the rest of us sit there clicking thru with Microsofts grammar checker, trying to work out if its telling us the truth or not about whether we really need an apostrophe there.
Third, they are just one more tool of snobbery. People who imagine that nonstandard apostrophe usage represents a ‘falling of standards’ tend also to assume that means they can look down on ‘illiterate’ people who dont follow the rules. You know, illiterate people like Shakespeares editors.
Fourth, current technology (text messaging in particular) makes it timeconsuming to use them. Why give ourselves this stress when itll make no difference anyway?
Fifth, they actually impede communication and understanding. Since so many people these days arent certain about how apostrophes work semantically its hardly going to help even if a proof-reader puts them all in the ‘correct’ places in some text.
Sixth, they are a distraction for otherwise reasonable and intelligent people. If youre the kind of person who does know and care about the ‘correct’ usage of apostrophes, think how much time you waste fretting over examples of ‘misuse’ when the very fact that you spotted the error means that you knew what they were trying to say in the first place. Are you a teacher who has marked a student down for apostrophe misuse? Shame on you, if so, for prioritising form over content.