My apostrophe radar only improved with age, yet others doubted my skill. Whenever I spoke to reveal instances of secret apostrophes, people insisted defensively that I was wrong. I knew, in our society that so heavily values credentials, I needed a reputable institution to validate my aptitude. During my interview for the Oxford Linguistics program, I explained my passion for hidden punctuation. There wasn’t a professor who specialized in this area, so the admissions officers were hesitant to accept me. They asked, “Are you prepared to study this difficult topic without an instructor to guide you?” I declared without hesitation, “Yes.” I continued, with a lowered gaze and in a delicate whisper, “The republic depends on it.” 

My academic papers on those small, diagonal curves have been largely ignored — until now. Suddenly, my opinion and expertise are in high demand.