Smudger105e
Member
I might be a bit of a grammar nazi on this but it really grates with me when spurious apostrophes are used, particularly on signs that are professionally manufactured. For example, there is a taxi firm local to me that has the sign on every car that says **** ***** Taxi's. Why put an apostrophe there? It is not indicating that something belongs to the taxi. There is no letter missing.
As a rule of thumb (and of course there are exceptions to the rule) apostrophes are used as follows
My Auntie's washing line has broken.
My Aunties' washing line has broken.
Aren't my Auntie's windows dirty?
The first is possessive singular, which means the washing line of my Aunty has broken.
The second one means that the washing line belonging to more than one Aunty has broken.
The third one has two apostrophes, the one in aren't is because the word is actually "are not" but letters have been omitted, the second one is describing the ownership of the windows as being one aunty.
I know that there is a movement towards actually doing away with the apostrophe all together in written word, but omitting one from a word is, in my little world, understandable, but putting them in where there's no need (see what I did there?) just winds me up.
DON'T DO IT PEOPLE!!
And don't get me started on their, there they're, to, too, two, where, were, we're...
P.S. "its" (possessive) does not have an apostrophe, I got caned at school for getting that wrong!
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe
As a rule of thumb (and of course there are exceptions to the rule) apostrophes are used as follows
My Auntie's washing line has broken.
My Aunties' washing line has broken.
Aren't my Auntie's windows dirty?
The first is possessive singular, which means the washing line of my Aunty has broken.
The second one means that the washing line belonging to more than one Aunty has broken.
The third one has two apostrophes, the one in aren't is because the word is actually "are not" but letters have been omitted, the second one is describing the ownership of the windows as being one aunty.
I know that there is a movement towards actually doing away with the apostrophe all together in written word, but omitting one from a word is, in my little world, understandable, but putting them in where there's no need (see what I did there?) just winds me up.
DON'T DO IT PEOPLE!!
And don't get me started on their, there they're, to, too, two, where, were, we're...
P.S. "its" (possessive) does not have an apostrophe, I got caned at school for getting that wrong!
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe
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