Uh, I’ve noticed a trend in spelling lately that’s making my eye twitch.
Since when have we had such problems in figuring out when to use an “apostrophe s” as opposed to a “plural s”? Is it really that hard?
Here’s what I’m talking about. I saw a blog post the other day that said something like:
Courtesy of snowbringer and deviantart
I’m buying flower’s today.
Really? Flower’s?
I’ve also seen:
Buyer’s beware
and
I read those book’s.
And
No dog’s allowed.
Oh. My. God. I’m about to get hives just thinking about this. It totally boggles.
So let’s (yes, that’s let’s with an apostrophe!) get this straight, okay?
Apostrophes are used for possessive nouns, like:
That is Katy’s hat.
The apostrophe in Katy’s name indicates she owns the hat, hence the possessive noun.
Apostrophes are used for contractions, where two words are shortened into one, such as:
Richard’s going to the store to buy a shirt.
Richard’s, in this case, is short for Richard is.
Apostrophes are never used for plural nouns (unless it’s plural and possessive, but let’s not go there; things will only get more confusing), as shown below:
Buy your windows and doors here.
If you write it as Buy your window’s and door’s here, what you’re really saying is Buy your window is and door is here. See how very wrong that is?
Okay, lesson done for the day. My eye is still twitching but at least I feel a bit better now for getting this off my chest. 🙂
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Terri Herman-Ponce 
I’d never noticed but I’ll watch for it now.
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I don’t know if it’s a U.S. thing or not, but it’s damned annoying!
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Oh my gosh, yes. This is such a basic rule, but I see it all the time.
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Scary, isn’t it?
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I’m so glad to see there are still people who who understand and appreciate the apostrophe. Thanks, Terry!
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Maybe we should start a group dedicated to the apostrophe. 🙂
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Apostrophe abuse is such a pet peeve of mine. I’ve also been known to correct chalk boards in restaurants by rubbing out apostrophes with my thumb. Why, oh why, is the poor apostrophe so often stuck in places where it simply doesn’t belong?!
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I hope the apostrophe doesn’t develop a psychological problem over this. It’s such a sad situation.
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This is such a basic grammatical point that if an author makes that mistake more than once, I won’t read any further. And yes, I have corrected reachable signs. This actually bothers me more than the use of the nominative after a preposition. And that makes my brain ache!
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Wow. Seems this is a particularly hot topic. For me, it’s such a basic grammatical thing, how can you get it wrong?
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Grrrr. Drives me crazy (or drive’s me crazy, whichever you prefer-LOL).
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LMAO — point taken!
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I have been known to “correct” whiteboards and chalkboards outside businesses when I see a misused apostrophe. It also makes me think that the business wouldn’t be able to properly conduct a transaction, so I go elsewhere to shop. (Yes, I realize it’s usually an employee who writes the boards, but it still reflects badly on the business.) And let’s not even get into “it’s” vs. “its!” 😉
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So with you on this. I’ve often been tempted to fix signs, too, but never have. I’ll tell you something – if I see a writer use an apostrophe incorrectly on a consistent basis, I won’t read their stories. Yep. Hate it that much.
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I’m so there with you on this, Terri. It brings out my inner editor when I see the apostrophe used inappropriately.
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Couldn’t agree more. I really want to break out the red pen when I see it happen! LOL
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