If you have ever despaired of having to correct another misplaced apostrophe, now there is proof that pedantry is worthwhile. Two men convicted of vandalising signs have been given a book deal to write about their fight against bad grammar.

Benjamin Herson and Jeff Deck were put on probation and ordered to stay out of national parks after they defaced a board at the Grand Canyon in Colorado. They replaced an apostrophe and added a comma to the 70-year-old sign, as part of a mission to correct grammatical mistakes across the United States. The friends have now landed a $150,000 (#163;94,000) advance to write a book about their hunt for errors.