The Oxford Comma

I don't know about anyone else, but this subject is putting me into a coma. ,,,,,,

A little known fact is that the Altrincham Apostrophe is the term used to denote a situation where an apostrophe should have been used, but got left off. As in, for example, "Happy April Fools Day".

I once lived in Stockport, a town that is less then 7 miles from Altrincham and our schoolmasters would make constant mock of those who left a required apostrophe out of a word like "its" - by suggesting, among other things, that we pack our bags and relocate to live with people who revered leaving out apostrophes. But still, mild mockery was far preferable to the public flogging of those who put an incorrect apostrophe into a word like "it's".

...which is of course the "greengrocer's apostrophe"

I did once see a greengrocer's full stop once which is taking inappropriate, nay, incorrect punctuation to a whole new level. It was on a sign outside a social club which proclaimed:

"New member.s always welcome"

presumably if they were greengrocers that is.

I'm sure I've heard somewhere of 'The Venerable and Worshipful Company of Greengrocer's' - who had the exclusive right to use the greengrocer's apostrophe by ancient charter. They may have been fictional, though...

Sorry to raise a different issue. Although I accept it is common usage, I think Februs should really have said 'I try to avoid ...'. If there is anyone out there who has not switched Word off, perhaps you could let us know if it has an opinion on this.

When that finger, I use for writing, gets tired, I sometimes make errors, which word observes; I am glad for this, but I wish it caught my really great mistakes. I prefer the reminiscences of grammar, that still remains in my brain to word's.

My daughter recently brought to my attention the rather rare Schroedinger's Greengrocer's Apostrophe, which is where the position of the punctuation is both correct and incorrect at the same time dependign on somethign we don't know. There were two escalators (moving staircases), and a sign over them said Escalator's not in operation, please use the lift (box which gets lifted up on a cable).

Now, were both of the escalators not inoperation or only one? According to the punctuation, only one; but I have a sneaking suspicion that both might have been, Where's that cat when you need it?

It can be awkward when it's about parents, as you don't know whether to offer sympathy or not...

"I lived in my parent's house till I was 20."

Or escalator's where the apostrophe is an abbreviation. As in: 'Escalator is not in operation...'

I have a similar problem with the (otherwise excellent) magazine Model Engineers' Workshop. The title would be perfectly correct if they are referring to a group of model engineers sharing a single workshop. But as model engineers are solitary animals who live in sheds to avoid contact with others of their species (especially their own mate) I find that rather unlikely. So I feel the magazine would be better renamed as either Model Engineer's Workshop or Model Engineers' Workshops.