THE EDITOR, Sir:

I FIRST noticed the National Commercial Bank (NCB) advertisement at prime time on CVM, end of May '07. I went away for June and returned to find the expensive-looking advertisement with the same error in its first line. I read then and still read now, that "NCB through it's representative has provided information to you." NCB through it is representative has provided information to you? I was taught that there should be no apostrophe in the first line of the NCB advertisement, and I wonder why it remains unchanged for so many months. Tonight I saw a new face supporting the ad.

I know we're in the 'Age of Change' and I therefore wonder if changes were made in grammar and they forgot to tell me.

Good grammar still gives me trouble and to this day I don't believe I ever grasped dangling participles and gerundives. But I know that 'i' 't' apostrophe 's' (it's) is not correct in the NCB ad.

NCB has been my bank from 1986 and I remain loyal because, at that time, they encouraged my project when four other banks had turned me down. Today, they put me on 'please hold' and I'm tired of holding.

This brings me to other changes I've been noticing and I call for help if I have not kept up with them. I hear the new dictionaries have added over a thousand words with new spelling so I have to tread carefully. I see letters coming from important organisations ending with 'Your's Truly'. There should be no apostrophe and the capital letter should begin the first word.

Have you seen the glossy letterheads and envelopes coming out of Grenada Cresent? What is going on? I saw a television ad inviting customers to visit the business at such and such a Cresent. Was the spelling changed from Crescent? Then again, some journalists appear not to know the difference between the words been and being.

Did you see the pretty television cook as she read the runner, and pointed to the Store Wear (stoneware) utensils?

What is going on when the quizmaster asked the bright child to spell archichitek. The bright child asked for the country of origin, got it, looked straight at the quizmaster, pronounced the word with the 'k' sound, and spelled architect.

I am, etc.,

B.B.

A retired teacher