--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about…" description: "\"“In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher Royal in The Express, a certain perversely comforting law is often reiterated: the Law of Con..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png" --- # In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher… ![“In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher Royal in The Express, a certain perversely comforting law is often reiterated: the Law of Conservation of Apostrophes. A heresy since the 13th century, this law states that a balance exists in nature: “For every apostrophe omitted from an…” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png) > ““In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher Royal in The Express, a certain perversely comforting law is often reiterated: the Law of Conservation of Apostrophes. A heresy since the 13th century, this law states that a balance exists in nature: “For every apostrophe omitted from an it’s, there is an extra one put into an its.” Thus the number of apostrophes in circulation remains constant, even if this means we have double the reason to go and bang our heads against a wall.”” [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous take on the idea that omitted apostrophes are balanced by extra ones, keeping the total constant. **In simple terms:** Missing apostrophes are compensated elsewhere. Key Takeaway Watch punctuation carefully. Themes language humor grammar Mood playful lighthearted Type literary humorous When to use this quote - editing documents - teaching grammar - proofreading drafts Key Concepts punctuation balance linguistic quirks writing style Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice punctuation patterns? - How does humor aid learning? A Different Perspective The rule is a joke, not a real linguistic law. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“the Law of Conservation of Apostrophes. A heresy since the 13th century, this law states that a balance exists in nature: “For every apostrophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-law-of-conservation-of-apostrophes-a-heresy-since-the-13th/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The rule is: the word 'it's' (with apostrophe) stands for 'it is' or 'it has'. If the word does not stand for 'it is'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-the-word-it-s-with-apostrophe-stands-for-it-is-or-it-has/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Those spineless types who talk about abolishing the apostrophe are missing the point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/those-spineless-types-who-talk-about-abolishing-the-apostrophe-are/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [I mean, full stops are quite important, aren't they? Yet by contrast to the versatile apostrophe, they are stolid little chaps, to say the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-mean-full-stops-are-quite-important-aren-t-they-yet-by-contrast-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“ He'll is just one apostrophe away from Hell . Keep that in mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/he-ll-is-just-one-apostrophe-away-from-hell-keep-that-in-mind/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [“We had a humiliating and lengthy wait at a DONT WALK sign with not a car in sight for miles. Dad was a press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/we-had-a-humiliating-and-lengthy-wait-at-a-dont-walk-sign-with-not-a/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Never underestimate the power of a well-placed apostrophe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-well-placed-apostrophe/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [“It also bugs me when I hear about "Angelina's adopted son" or "Rosie's adopted children"--as if that word will always separate them instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-chenoweth/it-also-bugs-me-when-i-hear-about-angelina-s-adopted-son-or-rosie-s/) [Kristin Chenoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-chenoweth/) > [I am lucky to be in a field where I can wear my hair the way I want, and the apostrophe in my name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-ja-wilson/i-am-lucky-to-be-in-a-field-where-i-can-wear-my-hair-the-way-i-want/) [A'ja Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-ja-wilson/) > [“Late Friday morning I was driving toward Boulder. I was seated in "Doctor Lovebeads Cosmic Wonderbus and Mobile Mercantile." That entire phrase was painted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-reilly/late-friday-morning-i-was-driving-toward-boulder-i-was-seated-in/) [Gary Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-reilly/) > [I might not use capital letters. But I would definitely use an apostrophe…and probably a period. I’m a huge fan of punctuation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-might-not-use-capital-letters-but-i-would-definitely-use-an/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“As if a silver in the egg-and-spoon race was some sort of compensation for not understanding how to use an apostrophe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/as-if-a-silver-in-the-egg-and-spoon-race-was-some-sort-of/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [ “\[Lydia tut-tutted on seeing the grocer's apostrophe\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-mckenna/lydia-tut-tutted-on-seeing-the-grocer-s-apostrophe/) [Christina McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-mckenna/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Explore all 115 Lynne Truss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## More Apostrophe quotes > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [ “\[Lydia tut-tutted on seeing the grocer's apostrophe\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-mckenna/lydia-tut-tutted-on-seeing-the-grocer-s-apostrophe/) [Christina McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-mckenna/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“As if a silver in the egg-and-spoon race was some sort of compensation for not understanding how to use an apostrophe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/as-if-a-silver-in-the-egg-and-spoon-race-was-some-sort-of/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I might not use capital letters. But I would definitely use an apostrophe…and probably a period. I’m a huge fan of punctuation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-might-not-use-capital-letters-but-i-would-definitely-use-an/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Late Friday morning I was driving toward Boulder. I was seated in "Doctor Lovebeads Cosmic Wonderbus and Mobile Mercantile." That entire phrase was painted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-reilly/late-friday-morning-i-was-driving-toward-boulder-i-was-seated-in/) [Gary Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-reilly/) > [I am lucky to be in a field where I can wear my hair the way I want, and the apostrophe in my name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-ja-wilson/i-am-lucky-to-be-in-a-field-where-i-can-wear-my-hair-the-way-i-want/) [A'ja Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-ja-wilson/) > [“It also bugs me when I hear about "Angelina's adopted son" or "Rosie's adopted children"--as if that word will always separate them instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-chenoweth/it-also-bugs-me-when-i-hear-about-angelina-s-adopted-son-or-rosie-s/) [Kristin Chenoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-chenoweth/) > [I mean, full stops are quite important, aren't they? Yet by contrast to the versatile apostrophe, they are stolid little chaps, to say the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-mean-full-stops-are-quite-important-aren-t-they-yet-by-contrast-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Never underestimate the power of a well-placed apostrophe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-well-placed-apostrophe/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [“We had a humiliating and lengthy wait at a DONT WALK sign with not a car in sight for miles. Dad was a press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/we-had-a-humiliating-and-lengthy-wait-at-a-dont-walk-sign-with-not-a/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“ He'll is just one apostrophe away from Hell . Keep that in mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/he-ll-is-just-one-apostrophe-away-from-hell-keep-that-in-mind/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [My dad, as much as I love him, has one of those signs - 'The Isbell's' - on his front door, and he's got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/my-dad-as-much-as-i-love-him-has-one-of-those-signs-the-isbell-s-on/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/the-crux-of-the-biscuit-is-the-apostrophe/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [You apostrophe re means you are. Your means your!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/you-apostrophe-re-means-you-are-your-means-your/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) Browse all 30 Apostrophe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher Royal in The Express, a certain perversely comforting law is often reiterated: the Law of Conservation of Apostrophes. A heresy since the 13th century, this law states that a balance exists in nature: “For every apostrophe omitted from an it’s, there is an extra one put into an its.” Thus the number of apostrophes in circulation remains constant, even if this means we have double the reason to go and bang our heads against a wall.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about-the-apostropher-royal-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apostrophe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about-the-apostropher-royal-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/lynne-truss-4153_apostrophe_in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about_3236534.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the Apostropher Royal in The Express, a certain perversely…” — Lynne Truss", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lynne Truss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In Beachcomber’s hilarious columns about the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about-the-apostropher-royal-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/in-beachcomber-s-hilarious-columns-about-the-apostropher-royal-in-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```