Apostrophe question...

[Wigeon]

Which of these would you prefer:

Children's and young people's activities

OR

Children and young people's activities

The first seems more grammatically correct to me, but the second reads more fluently. The question of whether to have two apostrophes or one is currently looming large in my life as I am working on something where I have to use /see other people use the phrase "children and young people's [various things]" a lot and it's bugging me every time!

Doesn't it depend on whether you are viewing children and young people as two distinct groups or as one?

Activities for children and young people?

The first one surely. Otherwise you are saying "children activities", aaarrrgh!

Tho I do see the point of the pp about viewing "children and young people" as one subject; still the first one tho :)

I would honestly be tempted to say "activities for children and young people" but maybe that won't work for your repeated usage OP?

Well quite, is "children and young people" a single sort of thing, and thus only needs an apostrophe on "people"? Given there aren't separate activities for children and others for young people - the activities are for children and young people, as opposed to, say, adults, or dogs.

My colleagues all seem to favour one apostrophe and I am fighting a lone battle for two. But that seems more clumsy to read. And I don't think anyone has noticed my lone crusade anyway.

Has to be two apostrophes.

Definitely both apostrophes.