“Yes. I am innocent … did not do drugs they’re not mine. I was almost hit by my assistant Tarin’s mom. I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy.”
–The classy, intelligent Lindsay Lohan, in an email to Access Hollywood‘s Billy Bush, on whether she has anything to say to the public.
Lohan was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with driving under the influence, cocaine possession, driving on a suspended license and transporting a narcotic into a custodial facility.
TMZ.com reports that, in conjunction with her other DUI arrest last May, she could be sentenced to a maximum of six years in prison.
The Grammar Vandal 
Hi Kate,
I was reading the SPOGG (I’m sure you know what Society that is!) newsletter today, and it had an article about you and your grammar vandalism, and so that led me to wonder if maybe you could answer a question for me? My husband and I disagreed about it the other day. I was certain I was correct, and he was certain he was. Can you help? It’s concerning the Oakland Athletics baseball team. I had written something about the “As” in my blog the other day, and when he was reading it, he told me it needed an apostrophe. I said that there was no way it could need an apostrophe, as it was not possessive and not a conjunction for “Athletics is”. He said it needed one because it was a contraction, supposedly having dropped the letters t,h,l,e,t,i, and c. Now, granted, you see “A’s” everywhere you go on anything official, but as you have pointed out in your blog, it’s frequently businesses, etc., that need the most help. I’ll be so ashamed if I am wrong, and yet, my husband will almost be proud if he is wrong, because then it will prove, in his words, that “popular culture has won out.” Help!
Your husband is right. In this case the apostrophe is used to indicate that letters have been dropped out – it’s the same principle as “don’t” for “do not.”
Thanks for the comments!
kiddle97, your husband is both correct and wrong. “A’s” is correct, but it’s not for the reason that he thinks!
I’m going to make this into a full post as soon as I get home from work today. š
Thanks Kate, I look forward to reading it. I think I forgot to mention my reason for saying the Athletics should be “As”… because I felt that “Athletics” was referring to the baseball team as a whole, so one individual player would be an “Athletic” (I don’t have to agree with the lame name the baseball team chose for itself; I’m afraid I could do no good there). Therefore, to use their nickname, the baseball team as a whole would be the “As”, and an individual player would be an “A” — like I said, they could’ve chosen a better name for themselves, but that is an argument for another day. Anyway, if I am indeed wrong I shall hang my head in shame and confess to my husband that he was correct all along, and then I shall get on with my life and find a worthier baseball team upon which to bestow my affections! Just kidding. No, if I am wrong I shall be grateful to have learned something! And I just will hope that my husband forgets easily… š
You rock! I read about your blog on a listserve for AP English teachers and am now listening to your interview on NPR. I develop a twitch when I see grammar mistakes on signs, especially apostrophes but I have never done anything about it. Maybe I will now! As a high school English teacher, I cannot agree more about the importance of good grammar. You mentioned in your interview that you’re looking for a job… ever thought about teaching?
By the way… have you seen the Apostrophe Protection Society? (www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/) You might enjoy it.
Considering that the Oakland A’s and Baltimore O’s have hats and logos that say “A’s” and “O’s” I would guess that that is correct.
As for Lindsay Lohan, shouldn’t there be a comma or semicolon between “drugs” and “they’re”?
And “giving me my privacy” doesn’t sound right to me. Maybe it is correct, but I thought it would be “giving me privacy.”
Lindsay is certainly not known for her good grammar!
http://gawker.com/news/lindsay-lohan/lindsay-lohans-whole-entire-crazy-spam-220081.php
I know of no better way to give/reinforce a cocaine or heroin habit than to spend six years in prison.
stacey from ma, where in MA are you?
I have thought about teaching, and I think that I would love it, but it’s never going to happen. Let’s just say that I have a person in my life who has dissuaded me from becoming a teacher from a very, very young age until it was firmly ingrained into my head.
I’m hoping to become a full-time freelance copyeditor. I’m also hoping to move to Europe and move to a new location every few months!