An apparent reversal of plans to remove the apostrophe from street signs in Devon has not guaranteed the future of the humble punctuation mark.
Mid Devon District Council sparked fury among lovers of English with it proposal to expunge the apostrophe to avoid "confusion" last month.
The mark appeared to have been saved from extinction after the council leader signalled a U-turn on plans to ban punctuation from new road signs.
Tory leader Peter Hare-Scott said he was "personally" not happy about English that's incorrect, adding that the omission was "not acceptable".
However, at a meeting to decide the issue, the authority decided to consult with national standards before making a firm decision.
A Council spokesman said "The council's cabinet is clear that it doesn't want to contribute to lowering standards of English by stopping the proper use of apostrophes in new street names.
"To decide on a consistent approach to street naming and numbering, we'll be looking again at various aspects of our draft policy, not just that of apostrophes.
We'll be referring to national guidelines including the relevant British Standard and liaising with other local authorities and national organisations to come up with the best possible policy for Mid Devon."
