Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

Exactly. I omitted it to show that it had been omitted.

It matters because a theatre is supposed to offer the citizenry a glimpse of their cultural history, including their grammar and language history.

The dogs bark = the dogs have a habit of making a noise.
The dog’s bark = this one dog makes its own particular noise.
The dogs’ bark = several dogs are making a sound particular to them.

 

I have some spare ones if anybody wants them, feel free to use them as I've always struggled with bloody commas and all the other rights and wrongs.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Each to their own speciality I say.

 

Victor Borge to the rescue.

 

If the name was meant to mean the theatre of the citizens then it would be correct to have an apostrophe after "citizens ". However, if the intention was just to have a theatre named "Citizens" then that's fine.

We have a shopping centre in Birmingham named "The Pallisades". Nobody is going to argue that The Pallisades own it; it is simply a name.

 

I disagree. The Citizens’ Theatre is clearly a theatre for the citizens and, as such, needs an apostrophe. If it was the Brooks Theatre, that would be OK with or without, as it is just a word that happens to end in S, but need not be a possessive.

 

50 years ago my English teacher would have given me a detention for cheek if I'd tried that on him.

 

If your council is anything like mine then they could probably find a use for them.

 

I love my mother tongue. Yes, a grunt can indicate that my dearly beloved considers his tea cup to be sufficiently filled with fresh tea, but a “thank you” sounds so much nicer, don’t you think?

 

I wonder whether the Citizens Theatre consulted Citizens Advice about the use and misuse of apostrophes?

 

So … I would say Citizens Advice does not need an apostrophe as the advice is not owned (ie possessed) by the citizens, but is being given to them. True the givers are also citizens, but the title refers to the receivers, rather than the givers, IMV.

I have never looked at the words Citizens Advice and recoiled mentally from the assault on my expectations, whereas Citizens Theatre would leap out at me every time.

I may just be weird, of course.

 

Citizens Advice was formerly Citizens Advice Bureau, maybe it was shortened to avoid debate .

 

I used to be a volunteer advisor with my local CAB and I'd have to say that apostrophes ( or lack of them ) wasn't often the biggest concern of any citizen seeking advice
I do agree that instances of poor grammar can be annoying - or quite often puzzling - but the English language, like anything else, has evolved over time. I doubt whether anyone alive today speaks as people did in the Middle Ages for example.
I guess if you can understand the meaning, however it's phrased, you can just tut to yourself but still know what the person is actually trying to say.
Personally, I dislike the Americanised spelling of words when spoken/written by non Americans - "gotten" as opposed to "got" being an example. Plenty more of course which I presume we have dreamed up ourselves - "gifted" rather than "given". That one seems particularly silly given our love affair with Text Speak as it takes longer to type
As for "Woke" - I still cannot woke that one out

 

Tha’s not been up north, then?

Slippage takes place in all languages, but some of it is just down to laziness. And I can’t stand laziness.