Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pedants' corner
Original poster

Rogue apostrophes

26 replies

ShowOfHands · 15/09/2009 16:08

Quite apart from the 'buy your onion's here' signs, are they becoming more common? I have seen mean't several times just recently which struck me as particularly imaginative.

Have also noticed an habitual misplacing in contractions to give do'nt and could'nt for example.

It seems to be a common mistake now but why? Has it always been this way?

OP posts:
campion · 15/09/2009 17:38

I blame the teacher's

cattj · 19/09/2009 22:33

No. It appears that stupidity is inherited, and that those at the bottom of the gene pool are breeding like rabbits.

cattj · 09/10/2009 09:18

"Service plan's from £17.75 per month fixes your service cost's at Todays prices for three years incudes MOT's."

:BARF:

BecauseImWorthIt · 09/10/2009 09:19

How hard can it be to teach correct usage?!

cattj · 21/10/2009 19:20

In a shop today, there were 14 different signs with rogue apostrophes included... I had to leave before I started foaming at the mouth and/or the convulsions started. Gak!

MrsBadger · 21/10/2009 19:42

I took down a poster at nursery with a rogue apostrophe (Green Pea's) and handed it to the room leader. I felt an army of MN pedants cheering me on...

DadInsteadofMum · 22/10/2009 09:31

Hoorah

Stayingscarygirl · 22/10/2009 10:10

I saw a classic the other day - a fast food place sign saying they sold:

Currie's, Pizza's, Kebab's and Burger's!

Would I be wrong to go back with a can of black paint and correct it?

totallyawesome · 23/10/2009 07:25

Surely correct usage can only be taught with any degree of accuracy if the teacher also has a vague grasp of the concepts? My DD once came home with a report saying that (and I quote verbatim) "the only think letting her down in litteracy is her inconsistant spellings". This was before they had a go at apostrophes, though. Maybe the teacher is better at punctuation than spelling?

Guimuahahahahahaaaaaaa · 23/10/2009 07:35

When I left secondary school in 1996, I had not been taught anything about the correct use of apostrophes at any stage. We learned what assonance, enjambment and onomatopoeia were, but not that plurals do not have an apostrophe.

rotateyourheadbacktome · 23/10/2009 08:02

It should be easy to teach. I teach, but I'm guessing they simply don't know why I think it matters. Kids who would not write dose (for does) quite happily write dosen't routinely. No attention to logic (foam, foam).

I know that isn't strictly an apostrophe point.

Don't forget, by the way, the rogue COMMA PRETENDING TO BE AN APOSTROPHE! This is a whole new world, as illustrated by the new salon near my house called 'Kimmy,s'.

I have mentioned this before here, but have not seen sufficient outrage yet...

GrimmaTheNome · 23/10/2009 08:36

They are becoming so common that I find myself doing a double-take when I come across a rougueless signboard.

campion · 23/10/2009 12:41

I hope you removed DD forthwith, totallyawesome.

Or had the teacher sacked.

notunique · 24/10/2009 12:57

Also, it's GCSEs not GCSE's I have seen at least two examples this week!

What about when the apostrophe is missing in *it's.

Again, I've seen mners post in PC or AIBU on a topic about grammar and they've posted its when they really mean it's. its* to indicate possession i.e its colour is red.

it's for contraction of it is

Rant over!

notunique · 24/10/2009 13:06

Grr, bold doesn't seem to work!

alwayslookingforanswers · 24/10/2009 13:10

can I ask here? is

Ladies' Cloakroom correct?

I sat and stared at the sign for ages during my exam the other day wondering if that was right or not or whether the MN pedants would be up in arms about it.

notunique · 24/10/2009 16:32

Apostrophe may follow in plural nouns ending with an s. So yes, that is correct.

Here for more details.

BecauseImWorthIt · 24/10/2009 16:34

Yes, it's correct. If it said "Ladie's" it would have been wrong. (Actually, that was hard to type!)

alwayslookingforanswers · 24/10/2009 16:34

aha - thankyou I've been wondering since Wednesday morning after sitting looking at the sign for what felt like hours

TheDevilEatsBabies · 24/10/2009 16:37

i got a new book in today: a fascimile new edition of The Church Mouse by Graham Oakley (isbn 9781840116106)

was reading it outloud and found:

"because it's beautiful red crust appealed to his artistic nature."

yes! i'm outing a children's book.

worst bit about it is that it was said about the teacher mouse who was a right little pedant.

MuGGGhoulWump · 24/10/2009 16:48

I posted earlier this week a sign I saw in a shop, Chester Draw's Fuck only knows where they got that from

PrincessFiorimonde · 28/10/2009 22:43

Guimahaha etc (sorry, cut & paste function not working): 'enjambment'. Blimey!

PrincessFiorimonde · 28/10/2009 22:47

Bold function not working either, obviously.

Nor my spelling of emoticon...

By the way, Mumsnet, the phrase is 'to embolden a word', NOT 'to bold a word'.

BirthdayCard · 28/10/2009 22:52

On my way to work every morning I pass a farm shop which has me screeching on the brakes and reaching for my red pen.
I saw these little gems last week.

"Thief's will be prosecuted." (FFS theifs isn't even the plural!)

Seen next to a similarly illiterate sign stating

"Peach'ies 5 for a £1"

Also seen on the fathers' day mug my daughter bought at a PTA sale at her school.
"Dad, your're the best"

MuGGGhoulWump · 28/10/2009 22:55

In my local Costa:
Please leave your brolly,s here.
I love my after work latte, but I may have to find somewhere else to buy it (until I buy my new coffee machine) as it raises my blood pressure seeing the sign.