People who don't know how to use apostrophes....

[itsaich]

I hope someone can enlighten me. I know there are lots of you out there who don't actually know what an apostrophe is for but use them anyway. I'm just curious to hear why you use them when you do?

I've seen people for instance write something like

I went to the shop's to buy sweets.

Why would you put the apostrophe in the word "shops"? But not "sweets"?

I know you have rules, I just want to know what they are. Or do you just kind of think 'huh, a little line would look nice there' and plop one in for good measure?

Do you maybe just stick them places because you think 'must be time for an apostrophe'?

Enlighten me please.

I often ponder the same question about people who don't know how to use ellipses...

Is that me? I can actually answer it if you are asking and not just making a dig. I use three dots kind of suggest carrying on... I know I'm not using them correctly doing that but it comes naturally and I only do it in chats, not in work.

Have I omitted them in my post somewhere?

This is an interesting question op. On dd2’s school Facebook last week was an extra apostrophe talking about an event happening on ‘Wednesday’s’ and I always wonder about people that add them. I could understand people missing them out, some of the rules around ownership can be confusing, but I can’t understand actually adding them.

Posting on pedants’ corner frightens me, I’m always convinced I’ve made a massive mistake. If I have I’ll blame it on my phone.

You beat me to it!

You put 4 dots in your title op.

Ah yes, it was to indicate the post followed underneath, as if that needed doing. Thank you.

I'm not frightened of making mistakes, it means I can correct them.

I'm just genuinely curious in all honesty, wasn't trying to be mean.

I think you're unlikely to find any of the culprits here.

Op I don’t mind learning, I have been known to read a book on grammar I bought dc, I think it’s the fear of me pompously giving an opinion about grammar only to make a different mistake!

Must try not to be pompous!

I have a genuine question grammar fiends (of which I am not one).
The sentences below don't read correctly to me.

*I've seen people for instance write something like

I went to the shop's to buy sweets.*

I would write:

I've seen people, for instance, write something like:
'I went to the shop's to buy sweets.'

Which is correct? Or both?

Ta.

You're correct with your commas there.

I'm not being a grammar fiend, I'm enquiring because I'm curious about why people use apostrophes.

I still really want to know.

I had one person tell me it was for plurals, but they didn't write "plural's"

🤣

Apostrophes are used in place of missing letters e.g. don't instead of do not. And in possessive e.g. my daughter's brush. They are not used in plurals.

I know. The person told me that's how they use them. I'm curious why people use them when they are used incorrectly, I want to know their criteria.

Why? Because they think that's how it goes. They think they are using them correctly.

Much like the errors in your post.

You don't know what you don't know.🤷

It doesn't help that you see it all over the place.

Sandwich shop selling panini's is a common one.

When you see it frequently it seeps in without you realising it I suspect.

I'm not asking how they are supposed to be used.

I'm asking people who use them seemingly randomly what their thought process is.

I think people are being harsh to you here.
I know exactly what you mean. My dad uses them to pluralise random words, but not others.
I have asked him in the past why he does it, why X and not Y, and he can't answer me.
I too would love to know why people think certain words need them but then others don't.
I also don't find the rules regarding usage difficult, so I genuinely don't know why other people do.

You are asking the impossible.

Do you think anyone uses them intentionally randomly and therefore incorrectly?

The thought process is and can only be that they think it's right. Half remembered apostrophe S message from school and they use it on words that they think needs them.

That's the only possible thought process.

I thought it was due to grammar not being taught so thoroughly. I went through secondary school in the 70’s, I don’t remember being taught much about it.
I think I know most of the rules but also think I probably get it wrong sometimes.

I later learned a lot more when I started a typing course (yes I am that old).

I also wonder if predictive text causes some of it, and people are in a rush and don’t check. So lack of knowledge and laziness because I think texting has opened the floodgates on idiosyncratic spelling and grammar.

I read once that centuries ago, there were no proper spellings and people just had a go at it. I don’t know if anyone knows when and why that changed. Perhaps the invention of printing?

PS what are ellipses? I spent years thinking the @ symbol was called an ampersand!

& = ampersand
... = ellipses which I never use correctly and use them to denote trailing off speech which is probably just my own made up rule

@LindaEllen He couldn't answer you, see this is what I find strange. I do think some people think 'not put one for a while, I'll just pop one before this S'

Remember that it's only ever replaces it is. If you can't replace it's with it is then there's no apostrophe. So:

A dog and its bones, not A dog and it's bones.

People get commonly confused about this rule as they think 'oh it's to do with possession as in the bones belong to the dog' but using the apostrophe would ve incorrect.

Similar to lets and let's.
All comes down to people just not knowing what they're for and plopping them in superfluously.

I think it frequently happens when the word ends in a vowel, and people are unsure about how to make it plural, so they stick in an apostrophe. Words ending in 'y' are especially susceptible.

Other times, they do it after the letter 't', because there are some common words like "it's" or "let's" that have it there, so it looks a bit familiar.

Sometimes they start doing it before all the letter 's' words, but then run out of steam and forget before the end of the sentence, so not all words get one.

I'd like to know more about the thought processes too, as I sometimes work with children who have trouble learning or remembering apostrophes, so it would be useful to know why they add them when they do and what they are thinking. But if you ask that in a place like this, people assume that you are just criticising. I do think they must have some set of internal rules, though, and knowing what those might be - and if there are any other more general ones that lots of people seem to believe, rather than something totally individual - would help teachers counteract them.