Since I work with language and am a linguaphile, I have a lot of linguistic peeves, so occasionally on this blog I’ll post about various language peeves, including ones about spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word choices.
I have too many to be able to choose one favorite, but for my first language-related peeve, I’ll choose something that I see constantly and that is probably one of my top peeves: the misuse of apostrophes. In the past week or so alone, I’ve seen many signs or websites with incorrect apostrophe usage, including:
--A store offering “apple’s”.
--A band called “The Three Amigo’s”.
--Several parlors where you can get “tattoo’s and piercing’s”.
--A salon with the slogan “It’s a mans world”.
--Beauty shops with “tanning bed’s”.
--“Sarahs Café, serving ice cream’s”.
--And frighteningly many more!
Let’s review the situation. Apostrophes are employed in two primary ways in the English language: possessives (i.e. ownership) and contractions. I’ll deal with contractions at another time, since it is another peeve-worthy topic.
Did you notice that the word “plurals” was not on the list of accepted usages for apostrophes (except, of course, if there is a word that is both plural and possessive, such as “the amigos’ tattoos”)? So why do people keep adding apostrophes to words that are plural? And why do people sometimes leave out apostrophes in words that are possessive?
The basic rule is: if there is more than one of an object (apples, beds, ice creams), there should be no apostrophe, but if you are referring to something owned (man’s world, Sarah’s Café), there should be. Simple, right?
If you are going to get tattoos or piercings (not tattoo’s and piercing’s), it is important to get this done at a place that is clean and has experienced tattoo artists and body piercers who know how to hygienically and properly do the job. But, in my opinion, another quality to look for is good apostrophe usage! Personally, I feel put off – and thus less likely to patronize a place – when I see this mistake made.
Thank's, er, thanks for letting me get that off my chest!
--Curly
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4 comments:
you post made me think of something thats realted to what you said bad gramar does not really bug me but when someone pronuces somethig one it really get my goat well i know we all say things one but the one that really bugs me is when adults still say liberry instead of the correct way i work in a Library and you would not beleive the amount of people who say it wrong even those who work here.
Thank you for your comment, Teefus!
Yes, it's interesting how people can have such different peeves. I am less peevish when it comes to pronunciation, perhaps because I have lived in a variety of places and been exposed to many dialects (including English-as-a-second-language dialects). So I know that some words are just hard to say, depending on your native language or dialect. But still, I know what you are saying. It would be nice if people who worked at a library could pronounce the name of their workplace (just as it would be good if they could spell properly so that they can alphabetize the books on the shelves!).
-Curly
actully we get alot of volnteer who dont know the alabet form a hole in there you know what is so annoying to have to go back and fix there mess when the are supposed to ne helping.
Why do they choose to volunteer at a library if they don't know the alphabet?
But this reminds me of another peeve -- people trying to use foreign words but mispronouncing them! Maybe I'll post on that at some point.
--Curly
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