Wibu to complain to the school?

[pho3be]

I mean, come on now

[UptheChimne]

I got a RG university degree in the 90s without knowing the difference

You sound quite proud of your ignorance of your native tongue. That's sad.

and you will be judged

[grannytomine]

"How passive aggressive. It's almost like some people resent teachers correcting their children's work. Why would you act like that"

I always thought the point of marking working and handing it back was so that the writer could learn and do better next time. Is there some reason why that works for children but wouldn't for a teacher/TA or other adult in a school environment?

[NewPuppyMum]

I moved schools a lot and missed the lesson on when the s goes before an apostrophe and when it goes afterwards. I know where to put it when it signifies a missing letter but not for saying Mother's Day, James's cake etc. Autocorrect has shown me there but I'm sure sometimes I've seen Thomas' train set without an s after the apostrophe but auto correct wanted two there.

Are there any easy reminders anyone will help me with please?

[LobsterMac]

Puppy, apostrophes are used for two reasons -omission and possession.

Omission: when two words are shortened into one word^^ and a letter gets left out (omitted). For example - can not to can't

Possession: the apostrophe shows ownership. So if YOU have the hat, it will be Puppy's hat. A good tip to check where you need an apostrophe is to underline exactly who has the item in question.

Sarahs dog. who does the dog belong to? Sarah's dog. (The apostrophe goes after the underlining.)

Johns cat. who does the cat belong to? John. So the apostrophe goes after the *n
*
It feels complicated when plurals get involved, but the same rule works.

If you had ONE dog, and your dog had a bed, it would look like this: my dog's bed.

If you had TWO dogs and they shared a bed, it would look like this: who does the bed belong to? My dogs. Underline it: my dogs bed. So the apostrophe goes after the s- my dogs' bed.

[NewPuppyMum]

Thank you very much LobsterMac.. I'm going to cut and paste it to refer back to. Thanks again .

That's just reminded me, I struggle with to and too sometimes as well.

[LobsterMac]

Ok so too is used as an extreme or extra - too hot, too cold, too much, too heavy. I want to come too, it's too difficult.

Bizarre tip: if you can say the word in a sentence in a very exaggerated way** (like a whiny toddler!) and it still makes sense, it's a double o

Like: it is toooooooo much money! (Can be exaggerated so is too)

I want to go tooooo the shop! (Doesn't work, sounds ridiculous, so is to)

[steppemum]

Puppy, when the word ends in an s, you can either add a second s after the apostrophe or not. It is a matter of personal preference.

Some people think about how it sounds, and if you can hear the second s, they add it, and if not don't, but either are correct.

So James' book and James's book are both right.

In James's you sort of say the second s, so I would put the second s in.

But in the dogs' bed one above (more than one, dog, only one bed!) You don't say dogs's with 2 s, so I wouldn't put a second s.

[faithinthesound]

I actually really like how this thread has evolved into a sort of grammar lesson without being snarky :) I love this kind of thing, teaching people things like this, so I'm grinning like an idiot right now.

[storynanny]

Faith, I totally agree with you! Unlike the flipping phonics threads which are always so .... Can't think of a word that describes how I feel ( as a teacher) when some teachers come along and railroad innocent queries etc with their own forceful views.
There are ways and means of helping people with literacy questions without making them feel inadequate.
So what happened op, did you speak to the school?
If this had happened in my class, I would have sent a note of sincere apology to every parent.
It was made in school I am sure, as I recognise the font as one regularly used in schools.

[steppemum]

little historical fact for you.

I have original Famous Five books, from 1940s.

Can't is written: ca'n't

to show that there are 2 letters missing (an n and an o) I was tickled pink when I saw it and the kids were amazed that spelling had changed so quickly (since Grandpa was a kid)

[KickAssAngel]

I was at junior school in the 1970s, and words like "won't" had more apostrophes back then.

[TheColonelAdoresPuffins]

What did the school say about it in the end op?

[doublesnap]

Disgraceful, even if done by a ta or volunteer it should be checked before handed out. If done by the teacher, I have no words...

My TA colleagues would be spitting feathers at this, why would they have a lower standard than teachers? Lumping them in with volunteers when the ones who I work with are educational professionals as much as the teachers is a bit much!

Yes, I'd say something to the school.

[Woolyheads]

I'd send it straight to Ofsted.

[Woolyheads]

I'd send it straight to Ofsted.

[MrsHathaway]

I'm a twitchy grammar pedant and the resource in the OP made me wince ...

But homophone spelling substitutions don't introduce confusion, do they? It's always completely obvious from context what was intended, which is how homophones persist.

Yes, schools should be modelling the correct usage, but it's such an overreaction to pearl-clutch and obsess about orthographical errors when more fundamental grammar errors (syntax and morphology) are excused.

It's far easier to learn the right spelling later on when what you say is correct, than to spell perfectly something which makes no sense.

That said, I was extremely pursed-lipped about the supply teacher who taught DC1's Y1 class to make all plurals with apostrophe-s. Cake's, toy's, etc.

[brickinitIam]

I'm not surprised. Lots of people type your on here too when it should be you're.

You would think they wouldn't go on to be teachers.

Has the standard of teacher training dropped lately? Are they letting any old person through these days? Regardless of whether they have basic skills?

runs

[brickinitIam]

I'm dying to know which school it is.
Failing that, can you at least tell us the County?

[jamdonut]

As a TA, I would have been on the teacher's case if they'd done that!!!!

That is shocking...to be repeated all the way down as well!!!😮

I'm not frightened to tell the class teacher when she occasionally misspells something on the board, or I go and put it right when we've moved onto tasks. She's not generally a bad speller, but sometimes when she's a bit rushed/stressed/distracted, she makes mistakes!
She's not a "young thing" straight out of teacher training, either!

[neverthetwainshallmeet]

YADNBU

[calzone]

Did you do anything about this OP?

[BeauMirchoff]

Holy fuck

[NewPuppyMum]

Thank you very much LobsterMac and steppemum.. I've been painting the house so not on line to read you helpful message.