to be mortified by DP's grammatical error in DD's reading diary?

[LisasCat]

It was the very first line of the first entry on the first page. DD has just started school, and got her reading diary yesterday. As DP reads her bedtime stories I asked him to write the first ever entry in this, and then saw that he had written story's when he meant stories. Yes I know I'm a bit of a tyrant when it comes to grammar, especially apostrophes, but this is now going to be the first thing her teacher sees, and will be visible for as long as she has this book.

So was I being a complete cow unreasonable to cross through it and write the correct word above, in what is obviously a different person's handwriting, and will therefore show the teacher that one of the parents is under the oppressive regime of the other, who is an evil pedant?

If he comes on here, will you all advise him "leave the bitch"?

Does it make any difference that I was cooking him a delicious dinner while he committed this awful crime wrote in the book?

[Fatshionista]

I couldn't let that go. I'd make him rewrite.

[chill1243]

There are more serious things to be "mortified" over than this. Mortified is a very strong word.

[whattodoo]

What is scar play? Should I Google it?

[limitedperiodonly]

My dad once wrote me a bogus note to get out of PE reading: 'Limited cannot play hockey today because of a sprained ankel'.

As a 12-year-old pedant it hurt me to hand it in but my desire to avoid mud and getting roughed up with sticks by the bigger girls was stronger.

I didn't notice until he'd gone to work. Otherwise I'd have made him write out 'ankle' 100 times.

[whattodoo]

Sorry, meant what is scat play?

[whattodoo]

Sorry, meant what is scat play?

[LisasCat]

chill you are right, and I would say that in truth I am mortified by certain decisions by the American judicial system. However, that's for a different thread, and hopefully this one has demonstrated that I am taking the piss. I actually think I will be able to sleep tonight.

Oh no, scratch that, I have an 11 week old baby. I will be up all night, so hell, I may as well worry about DP's grammar at 3am, to have something to take my mind off how crap it is being awake at that time.

[LisasCat]

whattodoo it involves being all unnecessary with your OH's poo during sex. But that is a thread for a Friday night.

[chill1243]

Lisacat Good luck with the baby. The nights can be trying.

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

Don't look unless you have a strong stomach/love poo.

[michelleseashell]

leaf the bastard,,,,,,,, :o

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

that'll learn him

[EightiesChick]

Think someone asked for an explanation a while back about apostrophes. I am avoiding a task and am another grammar pedant so here you go:

There are 2 reasons to use an apostrophe.
to show that words are contracted e.g. will not = won't, is not = isn't
to show possession e.g. Michelle's seashell, Lisa's Cat
When showing possession, it goes before the s if the owner/possessor is singular and after the s if the owner is plural, for example:
The student's essays - the essays written by one student
The students' essays - the essays of a class of students

There are 2 ways in which they are often used incorrectly
in plurals, e.g. a bunch of carrot's
in possessive pronouns - e.g The book is her's. Possessive pronouns like yours, hers, theirs already show possession so don't need an apostrophe as well.
Confusion also happens when someone uses a possessive form instead of just a plural, or the other way around: so writes 'story's' instead of stories as the OP's partner did, or writes 'This countries a mess' instead of 'This country's a mess.

[Dawndonna]

I've have corrected comments made by a teacher.

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

Thanks Eighties. What is the correct one for carrot's then? I knew the contracted way but it's the possession that confuses me.

[betterwhenthesunshines]

We just have to accept that we married the wrong person :o , my lovely DH writes with upper and lowercase all muddled up so it looKs somEtHing likE thIs whicH makEs it rEally iMpossible foR him to evEr chEck the children's homework or look like a fool if he writes in their diaries.

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

That's quite strange better!

[ShowOfHands]

There are actually more than 2 ways to use an apostrophe but honestly, the other examples aren't in everyday use and I'm being ridiculously pedantic just mentioning it so contractions and the possessive are the important ones.

The easiest way to remember the possessive use is to just put the apostrophe after whoever owns whatever you're referring to.

So...

The cats' litter tray- 'cats' is directly before the apostrophe so you know that it's more than one cat.

The cat's litter tray- 'cat' is directly before the apostrophe etc etc just one cat.

[ShowOfHands]

And to answer the question about "carrot's". There is no need to put an apostrophe in it. It's just a simple straightforward plural.

I bought a carrot

I bought some carrots

The carrots don't own anything and it's not a contraction of two words. Of course if you were talking about the carrot's raison d'etre then you would use an apostrophe because you've introduced the possessive.

But plurals (largely) don't need apostrophes.

[TalcAndTurnips]

English curriculum guide pinched from the Headmaster's office, Greengrocers' School, Upton Spudbury:

"All plurals to include an apostrophe and, preferably, additional/misplaced letters; examples include potato's, tomatoe's, leak's, mellon's

A mixture of upper and lower case letters with words is strongly encouraged; PeA's, LeTTice's, OraNge's, tuRNip'S

Please ensure that all english homework is completed in marker pen on fluorescent, star-shaped card. It should be handed in in either:

a brown paper bag or

a polythene carrier bag - polythene to be no more than 0.5 microns in thickness, likely to cause holing, tearing and handle-weals in the palm of the hand.

These are compulsory requirements for all trainee greengrocers, as we strive to deliver you to the workplace in a manner that will preserve tradition."

Fear not, LisasCat - if your DP tires of his current occupation, he will be welcomed, with open arms, into the brethren of the noble Order of Fruit & Veg Purveyors.

[EightiesChick]

For carrots specifically you wouldn't generally need one, because the apostrophe goes on the word denoting the owner of the thing, not the thing owned. So you might say
I've bought some carrots (just plural, no possession to show)
Clare's carrots are lovely (possession - apostrophe on Clare's as she owns the carrots)
The carrot's roots are brown (possession - apostrophe on the carrot as it's the 'owner' of the roots) or the carrots' roots are brown (if you mean more than one carrot, a bunch of carrots)

As you can imagine, though, you rarely actually talk/write about a situation which a carrot (or carrots) is the owner of something. So generally you would never need to put an apostrophe in the word 'carrots'. The questions to ask yourself are:
Is this word a contraction? If so, apostrophe is needed
Is there a possessive relationship here; am I writing about someone's thing(!) If so, think about where the apostrophe needs to go to show that unless you're using a possessive pronoun (yours, his, hers, theirs etc).

The biggie is it's / its.
It's is the contraction: It's a nice day = it is a nice day)
Its is a possessive pronoun: 'the cat is licking its tail'. Doesn't need an apostrophe as a possessive pronoun does that job by itself.
People often get these confused - you have to ask whether you mean 'it is' or whether you're showing possession.

So one of each kind can be found in:
It's a shame that the pub has changed its opening hours

If you can see the difference there, you've cracked it.

[Springyknickersohnovicars]

Shouldn't that be "Lisa'scat?" ::scarpers::

[mumeeee]

YABU to correct something that your DH wrote.

[whattodoo]

Good grief! I never knew that. (scat, not apostrophes).