Sun Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What's up with the rampant apostrophe abuse I've been seeing for the past few years? I've known that its/it's has been a perennial problem for many English writers, but I don't recall seeing apostrophes inserted into plurals until relatively recently. Now it seems to be everywhere. I've seen a good friend of mine start to regularly do it, and I know that she used to be able to form plurals correctly! I've even (gasp) seen it here at the WTM. I really don't understand the issue. We form a plural in English by putting an "s" on the end of most words. There is no need to stick random punctuation in there! Why has this become relatively common? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I've recently seen "n" replacing "and," not just in Mac n cheese! I've also seen a complete lack of all punctuation, except the apostrophe in plurals, in a lot of fb rants. It's all driving me insane enough to consider tossing Internet usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I know a number of people who use "your" when they should be using "you're." It's probably a good thing that Facebook doesn't have a "red pen" function, I'd probably be correcting all day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabinfl Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Bob the Angry Flower says it best: http://www.angryflower.com/aposter.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What really makes me cringe is when I see apostrophe abuse in print. I swear I can't drive anywhere local without seeing at least one banner out in front of a business with incorrect apostrophes. WHO is proofreading this stuff?! GAH! Or worse, are they even proofreading at all? :svengo: I am much more forgiving of mistakes on forums or in casual email. Heck, I am a technical writer/editor in real life, and I write like crap and make typos all over the place on the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I agree, Brook. A place around the block from me sports a sign for Birthday Party's. Argh. It's a printed banner!! And another thing... what's with the scare quotes everywhere?? A car repair shop in town has this painted in the window: We "fix" cars! So, um... are you going to fix my car or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmhearn Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I like to give them the benefit of the doubt that it's an autocorrect issue. ;-) With smartphones and tablets taking over the world in the last few years, autocorrect has also been running amok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I was wondering the same thing. What happened to the kitten? (You have to have been at WTM for a while to realize that this is related, lol.) I don't mind missing punctuation so much -- thinking of typing on phones.... But to add extra punctuation -- it drives me nuts, especially when people are asking about grammar programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I was wondering the same thing. What happened to the kitten? (You have to have been at WTM for a while to realize that this is related, lol.) I don't mind missing punctuation so much -- thinking of typing on phones.... But to add extra punctuation -- it drives me nuts, especially when people are asking about grammar programs. Don't you mean typing on their phone's to ask about grammar program's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 It's been around for a loooooong time. You're just tuned into it now. I can remember ranting about his back in high school. I graduated in 1990. Once you start seeing it, really seeing it, you can't go back and it will drive you bonkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a27mom Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 My autocorrect frequently prevents me from typing we'll. literally :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I think autocorrect does have something to do with it. Or at least I hope it's contributing a great deal. My phone won't let me type the word "well". It insists on adding an apostrophe to make it "we'll." I type pretty quickly so I end up catching it, backing up, typing it again, and still hitting the stupid space button at the end of the word so it does it again. I have to force myself to slow down so I can tell it not to "correct" it. What drives me nuts is several people I'm friends with on fb use the voice to text feature on their phones so you end up with things like "are" instead of "our" and "all" instead of "I'll". It can make it so hard to read when the whole post is like that with no punctuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Typing on phones has destroyed our grammar and spelling. However, ads are unforgiveable. The business has to order them and another company usually prints them. Nobody checks. It.is.ridiculous. We have a sign near our home that says, "Car wash .75c" So I can walk in with a penny and get a car wash? Really? Eta: I am not sure how to make a cent symbol. Please read the lowercase c as the cent sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I admit while playing video games and people start telling one another "your a noob," I am always sure to let them know it ought to be "you're a noob." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I think context matters. I assume most people don't proofread their Facebook screeds and I also know that my own typing fingers will at times default to the incorrect options even when I very much know the correct form. This happens for me with homophones and contractions a fair bit. I used to just never type contractions to avoid the issue. Man, did that ever make me sound pretentious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 It's definitely a problem. There is a link in my sig that addresses it. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Nah. We would have seen the Four Homonyms of the Apostroclypse if it were real. People are just lazy...and grammar instruction is not on the state tests after middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What really makes me cringe is when I see apostrophe abuse in print. I swear I can't drive anywhere local without seeing at least one banner out in front of a business with incorrect apostrophes. WHO is proofreading this stuff?! GAH! Or worse, are they even proofreading at all? :svengo: I am much more forgiving of mistakes on forums or in casual email. Heck, I am a technical writer/editor in real life, and I write like crap and make typos all over the place on the forums. I drive by a place (like 10 times a week, at least!) that has three printed banners out front with each one advertising Burrito's and Salsa's and Taco's. I am going to have permanent cringe wrinkles on my face if they don't take them down soon!! It's been around for a loooooong time. You're just tuned into it now. I can remember ranting about his back in high school. I graduated in 1990. Once you start seeing it, really seeing it, you can't go back and it will drive you bonkers. Yep. I graduated in '87 and saw it then, but it was a rare sighting. Now, it's all over the place!! A friend and I once had to argue with the lady writing a name on a Christmas ornament that it should simply say "The Smiths" when she wrote "The Smith's". I didn't even try to get in to singular vs plural Smith/Smiths and Smith's/Smiths'. I think her head would have exploded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I know I've made that mistake & I definitely know better. For me, it has crept in because I started using apostrophes to pluralize things like Q's for questions while texting. I never thought about it, it just because something my fingers did & then I'd see it afterward & think "Wha? how did that happen?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 It's not just plurals that are problematic. My son used to have an Old Navy t-shirt that said "give me the snacks and nobody get's hurt!" I have been noticing it more and more, I do think it's becoming more common especially in printed ads and flyers. I find it quite annoying - I can understand abbreviations and general laziness but why add something in that shouldn't be there? It's just sheer ignorance of simple grammar rules, and either a lack of self-awareness or a lack of caring enough about the project to have it proofread. (I am obviously referring to printed ads and flyers here, not message board postings). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 a lack of caring enough about the project to have it proofread. I think it's mainly this. The companies are being cheap and don't want to pay real proofreaders. Bad idea, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I know I've made that mistake & I definitely know better. For me, it has crept in because I started using apostrophes to pluralize things like Q's for questions while texting. I never thought about it, it just because something my fingers did & then I'd see it afterward & think "Wha? how did that happen?" Around here I usually use dd's to refer to my daughters (plural) because there are rules that allow using apostrophes to pluralize letters or abbreviations for clarity, though the abbreviation rule is actually bit more complicated. Somehow with all the abbreviations that we use on the board, dd's seems to make it clear that I am talking about my daughters rather than something else. But now that I think of it, I wonder if it really helps or not. So, should I use dd's or dds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Around here I usually use dd's to refer to my daughters (plural) because there are rules that allow using apostrophes to pluralize letters or abbreviations for clarity, though the abbreviation rule is actually bit more complicated. Somehow with all the abbreviations that we use on the board, dd's seems to make it clear that I am talking about my daughters rather than something else. But now that I think of it, I wonder if it really helps or not. So, should I use dd's or dds? I vote for keeping the apostrophe. I want as much as anyone to keep the kittens alive, but dds would just make me think you're talking about your dentist. This is a valid exception to the rule, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabeline Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It's not just plurals that are problematic. My son used to have an Old Navy t-shirt that said "give me the snacks and nobody get's hurt!" I have been noticing it more and more, I do think it's becoming more common especially in printed ads and flyers. I find it quite annoying - I can understand abbreviations and general laziness but why add something in that shouldn't be there? It's just sheer ignorance of simple grammar rules, and either a lack of self-awareness or a lack of caring enough about the project to have it proofread. (I am obviously referring to printed ads and flyers here, not message board postings). I also think the prevalence of the problem is adding to it. Young people are getting used to seeing horrible grammar and can no longer recognize mistakes. Between texting and Facebook, and not reading real books good grammar and spelling is disappearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I vote for keeping the apostrophe. I want as much as anyone to keep the kittens alive, but dds would just make me think you're talking about your dentist. This is a valid exception to the rule, I think. It is acceptable to use apostrophes with acronyms like DVD's. That is a style issue. Some style guides use DVD's and some use DVDs. Either way, it's technically correct as long as you are consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Around here I usually use dd's to refer to my daughters (plural) because there are rules that allow using apostrophes to pluralize letters or abbreviations for clarity, though the abbreviation rule is actually bit more complicated. Somehow with all the abbreviations that we use on the board, dd's seems to make it clear that I am talking about my daughters rather than something else. But now that I think of it, I wonder if it really helps or not. So, should I use dd's or dds? I use a lowercase s: DDs and DVDs and TVs and such. I don't know if it's in Strunk & White, but it eliminates possessive confusion for me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It is acceptable to use apostrophes with acronyms like DVD's. That is a style issue. Some style guides use DVD's and some use DVDs. Either way, it's technically correct as long as you are consistent. Yes, it is correct but it has made me sloppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It drives me nuts as well. However, my tablet wants to auto correct "its" to "it's" all the time; I try to catch it, but I may miss it occasionally, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I do think we suffer from a deplorable lack of knowledge about spelling, though. I strive to be better than that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 A company DH used to work for ordered a banner with the logo, contact info, etc., and the company name ended with a plural noun. Even though the owner had specified exactly what he wanted on the order, the sign maker still added an extraneous apostrophe before the ending S. (No, it was not possible the sign maker thought it was meant to be a possessive.) The sign maker got quite an earful from the business owner, according to DH, and they had to make another banner at no charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I use a lowercase s: DDs and DVDs and TVs and such. I don't know if it's in Strunk & White, but it eliminates possessive confusion for me. :) I do the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I think it's mainly this. The companies are being cheap and don't want to pay real proofreaders. Bad idea, IMO. They're even advised by some not to hire them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 So, should I use dd's or dds? I say DDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBugs Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Are we talking about news reports and opinion pieces on the web? Or comments on forums and social media? Because I have read some of my own comments and I will notice I have used your instead of you're and even are instead of our. It's embarrassing. I know better, so why am I doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I also think the prevalence of the problem is adding to it. Young people are getting used to seeing horrible grammar and can no longer recognize mistakes. Between texting and Facebook, and not reading real books good grammar and spelling is disappearing. I agree completely. Bad models! Maybe everyone should be made to do daily copywork... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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