As self-proclaimed grammar nerds, we at The Writers For Hire are disappointed to share that the Apostrophe Protection Society has officially been shut down. (Never mind the fact that we did not even know that such a society ever existed until we came across this article from the Evening Standard.)

The society, which was founded in 2001, was the brainchild of retired British journalist, John Richards. Richards originally started the society in hopes that it would help ensure that the “much abused” apostrophe was being used correctly.  Throughout his career as a journalist, he had seen countless mistakes when it came to the use of the apostrophe. He hoped that by forming a society to protect it, he would find a few like-minded people who shared his desire to see this punctuation mark used correctly.

As it turns out, he found more than just a handful of supporters. Not long after starting the society, Richards was receiving hundreds of letters of support from around the world.

Now, I am sure that you are wondering why it has been shut down after only 18 years if the society has received so much worldwide support.

Well, according to Richards, even with all of the support from grammar nerds around the world, “the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won.”

It seems that, at the age of 96, John Richards has resigned himself to the fact that modern society (for the most part) “no longer cares about the correct use of the apostrophe in the English language.”