A Good Laugh or a Crying Shame?

[Guest]

I think it's a crying shame myself, that the apostrophe is so often misused. I'm further discouraged by the apparent tolerance of its gradual demise by some people. As a one-time teacher of English I'm only too aware of the difficulties and the pitfalls - and the amusuement offered to righteous pedants! Grocer's Anonymou's, anybody!

But I have to let you in on another example, unique, I think, of the murder of the apostrophe.

A notice spotted in a little cafe the other day:
Scones
Cakes
Gateaux's

A promising start there!

[french frank]

I spotted a particularly interesting example on the Radio 3 website of what might be called the Slipping Apostrophe where the said apostrophe had, physically, descended from one line into the line below, thus:

This years
Prom's

[amateur51]

Those are two cracking developments and you are both to be congratulated.

Are you going to send them off to Lynn Truss?

[Don Petter]

A notice spotted in a little cafe the other day:
Scones
Cakes
Gateaux's

A promising start there!

Worse than that. I have seen on a market stall, albeit some years ago:

SOX'S

[teamsaint]

I don't worry about it much, but I did spot a personal fave on a Gosport chip shop door

"In future we will be closed on Tue's."

[LeMartinPecheur]

I don't worry about it much, but I did spot a personal fave on a Gosport chip shop door

"In future we will be closed on Tue's."

TS: just serves you right as a Saints fan for getting too close to Pompey's ground - the locals probably only did it to annoy you!

[MrGongGong]

TS: just serves you right as a Saints fan for getting too close to Pompey's ground - the locals probably only did it to annoy you!

erm what language is this ?

[gurnemanz]

You pays yer money.....http://www.kingsx.co.uk/

..you takes yer choice.

[PatrickOD]

Ignoring the apostrophe can have a domino effect. Wall slogan, which remained in place for several years, on the theme of 'They haven't gone away, you know':

Were still hear.

[teamsaint]

erm what language is this ?

This is known as "scumpy", and is an ancient wessex language , who's' origin's are lost in the mist's of time, (somewhere between waterlooville and totton.)

[teamsaint]

TS: just serves you right as a Saints fan for getting too close to Pompey's ground - the locals probably only did it to annoy you!

no doubt, but you can be sure that i didn't pop into the shop in my stripey shirt and point out their linguistic shortcoming's. !!

[Segilla]

Around 1978, (this apostrophe business is nothing new - I've seen it in 19C documents), a motor claim form was submitted by a Mr Matthews. Every single word ending with a letter 's' was preceded by an apostrophe - even his own surname. Wish I'd made a photocopy of it.

How is the use of apostrophes taught nowadays?

[Flosshilde]

"In future we will be closed on Tue's."

This could, in a sense, be correct -

From Wikipedia "The English name is derived from Old English Tiwesdæg and Middle English Tewesday. This was a loan translation of Latin dies Martis, originally associating the day with the planet Mars. The Germanic name translates Mars, the god of war, as Teiwaz (Old English Tiw)."

so Tuesday is actually the day of Mars - Teiwaz's day.

[scottycelt]

Just when I thought nobody had noticed my 'it's' which I cunningly and furtively changed to a right proper 'its' on another thread today ...

[Ferretfancy]

What we're referring to is commonly called an apostrofly. The one I like best is at the greengrocer's -- "Advocado Pear's"