Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I'm sure there's another thread about this topic somewhere on here, but ...

This afternoon I spotted a mannequin in the window of our local M&S sporting, according to the sign at its foot, "jean's", "shoe's" and (I kid you not) "sunglasse's".

M & S ain't what it used to be! (the other thread, by the way was 'The Pedant's Revolt' or possibly 'Pedants' or even 'Pedants''?)

Fjgrogan wrote:M & S ain't what it used to be! (the other thread, by the way was 'The Pedant's Revolt' or possibly 'Pedants' or even 'Pedants''?)

Standards are not what they used to be. Not mentioned in the Pedants' whatever, I have just noticed elsewhere the juxtaposition of 'dual' and 'duel'. Yes, there had just been a duel (quaffing flaming spirits) but the author intended to used the adjective 'dual'. For me the problem is that one sees such errors daily and on top of that words are deliberately misspelt (example Heinz' use of 'meanz') to the detriment of our youth. I blame the teaching profession which admits people whose knowledge of arithmetic and English is lacking. It was reported that trainee teachers have to pass certain tests but have unlimited attempts; one such student is said to have attempted a certain test over 50 times before passing.

Perhaps it is a deliberate ploy by M & S to attract attention - along the lines of Beanz meanz Heinz - if so, we all fell for it! Off topic - but it is at times like these that I miss the input of Neill the Notorious - does anyone have any news of him?

A recent series of letters in "Modern Railways" magazine on this topic developed a Housey flavour, so may be of interest. It concerned the names of the Southern Railway's Schools class locomotives built in the 1930s, six of which required an apostrophe in the name. A reader had seen a list published elsewhere in which some of these had apostrophes and others didn't, and asked whether they had all been included on the locos' actual nameplates.

Various other readers were able to confirm that all had done so (the other 5 were Blundell's, King's Canterbury, King's Wimbledon, St.Paul's and St.Olave's). The latest contributor then turned to C.H. Station, mentioning that the timetables had included an apostrophe in the name in 1974 but that it had disappeared by 1999, although the nameboards at the station did include it in 2007. He finished by saying he suspected that as a result of a general decline in the knowledge of the meaning of the apostrophe a list of the 40 names of the class produced today would include only one apostrophe - in Sevenoak's !

Incidentally on the official railway maps for the South East the apostrophe returned to Christ's Hospital station in 2007, which may or may not be a result of a letter I wrote to the publishers. Others I mentioned haven't been changed, so it still includes (among others) Bedford St.Johns and St.Johns (at Lewisham), but Ryde St.John's Road and St.John's Wood.

Although I'm very fussy about apostrophes in general usage, I have different standards when it comes to place names. I'm quite content for the city and the university to call themselves "St Andrews". It would look silly and affected to use an apostrophe there, as it would in "Princes Street". As for "St Andrews Square", mapmakers and signwriters avoid the difficulty by calling it "St Andrew Square".

eucsgmrc wrote:Although I'm very fussy about apostrophes in general usage, I have different standards when it comes to place names. I'm quite content for the city and the university to call themselves "St Andrews". It would look silly and affected to use an apostrophe there, as it would in "Princes Street". As for "St Andrews Square", mapmakers and signwriters avoid the difficulty by calling it "St Andrew Square".

Yet we refer to Christ's Hospital

sejintenej wrote:Yet we refer to Christ's Hospital

Indeed we do. It's only in place names that I can tolerate missing apostrophes, and "Christ's Hospital" is more than a place name.

Was it not George Bernard Shaw that would not use apostrophes and called for their abolition? The worst misuse is the posessive
its, often spelt with an apostrophe.
Chris Bartlett