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Original poster

Grammar Police v Wedding Party *MNHQ tweaked title at OP's request*

191 replies

WillLiveLifeAgain · 01/10/2024 15:27

I'm usually OK with grammar but this one has me scratching my head. Probably lack of sleep (not over this).

Went to a wedding at the weekend. They had one of those neon signs with their surname but added an apostrophe. So it said

The Smith's (name changed)

Shouldn't it have said The Smiths? There were four of them including children. Not one belonging to something/someone.

I'm very happy to be proved wrong. I'm not a grammar nazi but would hope something like that would have been right?

I know this is AIBU so disclaimer obviously what matters is the happy marriage of two loving people not an apostrophe.

OP posts:
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Petitchat · 04/10/2024 16:46

SunflowersAndSquash · 03/10/2024 09:13

Shame 4 year olds aren't writing shop signs, then.

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😁 😁 😁

SoNiceToComeHomeTo · 03/10/2024 12:29

I think that typing or dictating messages on to phones and other devices might be encouraging the escalation in grammar and spelling mistakes. My phone keeps suggesting 'they're' instead of 'there' and is as free with its apostrophes as any greengrocer with his carrot's and pear's and so on.

Mountainpika · 03/10/2024 12:13

Glitterblue · 03/10/2024 10:43

Ah silly me 😂😂😂😂 Of course it should have been your rite! Or should that be of coarse it should of been your rite 🤔

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.....should of been your .....

No - .....should of bean yaw....

Fink · 03/10/2024 11:51

Apostrophes creep in everywhere! I have a double-barrelled name and when I spelled it out recently, the lady wrote ' instead of -

She appeared to be a native speaker of English. I understand names like D'Eath, but I don't know how she thought Jones'Rodrigues could possibly be correct!

Glitterblue · 03/10/2024 10:43

Mountainpika · 03/10/2024 09:32

You mean- Your rite.

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Ah silly me 😂😂😂😂 Of course it should have been your rite! Or should that be of coarse it should of been your rite 🤔

HamptonPlace · 03/10/2024 10:43

possessive apostrophe ... makes no sense, and certainly grinds my gears....

SalviaDivinorum · 03/10/2024 09:43

Pogggle · 01/10/2024 15:37

If it makes you feel any better, I saw a photo that my local tattooist uploaded the other day of one she'd just done that said 'know you're worth'. I actually couldn't believe that neither her or the person having it done thought to just double check that it was right 😬

As it is now wrong to correct people’s spelling and grammar, maybe the tattooist knew it was wrong but didn’t feel able to tell their client?

I know sign writers and printers will make exactly what they are told. They do not check spelling and grammar: that’s entirely down to the customer.

In my own case I had a couple of excruciating years working for a company that took its name from a word that forms a plural by adding an es. However they decided that an apostrophe looked better. I used to cringe every time I had to spell it. Think Box’s. Even as a plural it made no sense!

Mountainpika · 03/10/2024 09:32

Glitterblue · 01/10/2024 15:34

You’re right 😊

You mean- Your rite.

hookiewookie29 · 03/10/2024 09:27

We have a pizza place opposite the local primary school. The banner advertises it as 'Wood fire'd pizza'
Drives me mad lol!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/10/2024 09:16

WillLiveLifeAgain · 01/10/2024 15:48

There's a lot of it around. A lovely pub we visit for very good food serves Pizza's! I can't look at it but at least it's only a blackboard. For a neon sign to feature in your otherwise delightful wedding photos is a bit embarrassing.

If it’s on a blackboard, aren’t you tempted to rub the offending apostrophe out?

I’m sure I would be!

SunflowersAndSquash · 03/10/2024 09:13

outdamnedspots · 01/10/2024 20:00

They teach a lot more grammar in primary schools now than they have done for years!

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Shame 4 year olds aren't writing shop signs, then.

RaymondaHolt · 02/10/2024 14:37

@Errors
Lots of Irish people do find it offensive though because of how the term developed and the history of its use (I'm Irish). But Irish people don't have a hive mind and others aren't bothered by it...most especially if they're not aware of that history.

It's probably a term that's best avoided unless you're sure of your audience. It's controversial at the very least. Lots of people don't know that however and there is usually no intention to offend. That makes all the difference imho.

Sometimes people do get extremely defensive when their mistake/lack of awareness is pointed out to them and that doesn't help either. It also doesn't help that the 'pointing out' bit isn't very polite on occasion! All online usually. People behave better in real life and let things slide and give others the benefit of the doubt etc.

Errors · 02/10/2024 10:24

WillLiveLifeAgain · 01/10/2024 20:33

Don’t you think it’s more of a colloquial term than fascist ideology, white supremacism and genocide? But being all offended about the albeit ill used term is more important.

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Of course it’s colloquial. Perfectly harmless turn of phrase IMO. There was a poster on here the other week that was attacked for using the term ‘Irish Twins’
She herself was Irish. Everyone that commented saying it wasn’t offensive was Irish, the person who was offended by it wasn’t Irish.

butterpuffed · 01/10/2024 23:11

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

No idea as my pen's a s'hort one.

Lollypop701 · 01/10/2024 22:08

RumNotRun · 01/10/2024 21:44

@Lollypop701 I presume the misspelling of stationery was on purpose! (Sorry if it wasn't!)

Absolutely was 😂

RumNotRun · 01/10/2024 21:44

@Lollypop701 I presume the misspelling of stationery was on purpose! (Sorry if it wasn't!)

TheHangingGardensOfBasildon · 01/10/2024 21:39

Lollypop701 · 01/10/2024 20:49

Hmm might open a stationary shop with pen’s in the title 😂🙈

A mobile shop - maybe a re-purposed ice cream van - would be even better Grin

TheHangingGardensOfBasildon · 01/10/2024 21:38

Fink · 01/10/2024 17:29

Someone who only speaks English tried to correct me on a similar thing in French (I am bilingual). Note that this person doesn't actually speak French, but was attending a wedding in France and somehow convinced themselves (but not me!) that English grammar rules should apply in French. So, in French, the rule is that you write 'les' (plural 'the') and keep the name in the singular: Les Smith. This person was incandescent that it wasn't Les Smiths.

Les Smith just sounds like an old bloke who likes drinking at the pub with his best mate Les Miserables Grin

AngelinaFibres · 01/10/2024 21:38

Hoppinggreen · 01/10/2024 15:45

There is a plaque on a memorial bench in a place we visit often and it says something along the lines of "if love could of saved you"
Gives me the rage, I appreciate that sometimes people make grammatical errors or spelling mistakes but when its by a "professional" it makes me very cross

The inscription on a grave in our local churchyard " Gone but not forgotton".

RumNotRun · 01/10/2024 21:35

I received an email at work from Mr Richard's. I really hope that was an autocorrect issue.

squishee · 01/10/2024 21:30

The grocer's apostrophe strikes again.

Where I am (Australia) it's a common mistake to leave off the genitive apostrophe, too. It's reaching a point where grammar standards are just sliding.

Fink · 01/10/2024 21:18

Lollypop701 · 01/10/2024 20:49

Hmm might open a stationary shop with pen’s in the title 😂🙈

Just make sure you choose the right font so it doesn't look like penis!

Fink · 01/10/2024 21:14

Sometimes the right answer just looks wrong, so you have to find a workaround. My surname ends -ses, and although the correct plural would be -seses, that's just too many eseseseses, so I usually write 'the Finkses family' or similar.

Temptingspread · 01/10/2024 21:11

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Rubyandscarlett · 01/10/2024 21:07

Dontlletmedownbruce · 01/10/2024 15:35

This type of thing irrationally annoys me.

Me too.
Got a sign with our name on it for Christmas one year and it has an apostrophe in it so it sots in a.
cupboard now cos l can't look at it!

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