Apostrophe hell.

[marshmallowfinder]

I keep seeing the incorrect use of apostrophes in dates, for example 'the 90's.'

It should be '90s. The apostrophe indicates the missing characters. It does NOT have one before the letter s. The apostrophe is so misused...sob! Can we do anything?

I was taught it was James', Socrates', Ulysses', Thomas', across the board. No exceptions.

Maybe styles have changed. To me, James's and Thomas's look right as they'd be said as Jameses and Thomases so need that 's on the end. Ulysses' and Socrates' aren't pronounced with es on the end. It is St James's Street in London - pronounced St Jameses Street not St James Street. To me, it seems more logical but you do whatever.

St James's Park in London. St James' Park in Newcastle. They're both correct.

It is 100% "the Scotts' car". No ifs, buts, maybes or room for argument there.

Love a good apostrophe thread. Always makes me think of Terry Pratchett's grocer character who was able to speak with misplaced apostrophes 😍

Yes, styles have changed. That's all it is in this instance, style.

As for the socks that James owns, they’re definitely James’s socks.

WhatsTheUseOfWorrying I'm of the era that when we were taught that it would be James' socks, unless "socks" is omitted and understood:

As for the the socks that James owns, they're definitely James' socks, I'm positive that they're James's.

However, we were also taught that both James' and James's would normally be pronounced "James's".

I'd never noticed the "Socrates" phenomenon - thank you to the PP who pointed that one out.

I used to date an apostrophe, but he was too possessive.
BOOM, BOOM, TISH!

I disagree... the first one perhaps less clear cut (I think it can be read either way - I'd probably use apostrophe) but the other two are definitely possessive.

Why?

VG.

Because you don't apostrophise plurals. The nineties. '90s is correct as the apostrophe indicates the missing characters. (1990s)

This is tricky!

’90’s fashion

'90s fashion - imo in this case '90s is functioning as an adjective so doesn't need an apostrophe. If it did need an apostrophe it would come after the "s", not before. You're not referring to the fashion belonging to the ninety.

The ’90’s trends in energy policy

Again if it's trends belonging to the nineties then the apostrophe would come after the "s", but I would write it out as "The nineties' trends in energy policy". It's a clunky sentence so I'd probably rephrase it to "Energy policy trends in the nineties ...".

I remember the ‘90’s long summers fondly

Again this is a clunky sentence, but the summers don't belong to the ninety, so the apostrophe would come after the "s". I'd rephrase to "I remember the long summers of the nineties fondly" (or some such) or write it out as "I remember the nineties' long summers fondly".

But they’re possessive - or at least arguably so.

Sure, I wasn’t claiming any prizes for composition!

But anything can attract a possessive, can’t it, however abstract? ‘Nature’s bounty’, ‘love’s young dream’, ‘hairstyles’ popularity’ etc.

Why shouldn’t decades - abbreviated, with an apostrophe for contraction - be able to carry a possessive apostrophe?

Sorry, to add, I agree that in most cases it will be an adjectival rather than possessive use of a decade. But the possibility for proper possessive use is there, IMO.

I don't think anyone is saying a decade can't be used in this way, it's just that in your examples the apostrophe is in the wrong place because the '90s is plural.

Apologies, my mistake! The examples are posessive.

@WhatsTheUseOfWorrying

I meant to clarify that adding an apostrophe to "'90s" results in "'90s'", which could be mistaken (esp in this font) for "90s". So to aid clarity I would write "nineties'".

Yes, you’re right. I put the apostrophes before the s. It should have been after.

But that would be just one smith's house... You have to turn it round: the house of the smith/the house of the Smiths. What you say is where the ap goes 🤔

Mr. Smith’s house is lovely. (The house belonging to Mr Smith is lovely.)

The Smiths’ house is lovely. (The house belonging to the Smiths is lovely.)

I’m really jealous of the Smiths.

The apostrophe shouldn't be used for contraction in 90s. There's no contraction.

The 90s is a plural. So if you insist on using 90s as a possessive and not an adjective, it would be 90s'.

Unless it is "90's music" etc. in which case I think the apostrophe is correct to show possession - music belonging to the 90s.

Oops, ignore me, didn't read the whole thread and see this has already been mentioned.

Music belonging to the 90 would be '90's. Otherwise '90s'!