Fun With Apostrophe's

We've all seen them. Lots of them. They are everywhere. A sign where someone means to make something plural but for some inexplicable reason he puts in an apostrophe instead, making it possessive. Really, why do that? How does it not look so wrong that the dude doesn't realize it immediately?

Anyway's (See what I mean? See how out-of-place that looks? How can that mistake be made millions of times a day?), I was in the Bad Place last week and walked past the marquee of the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. They were showing Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, which is another serious problem in this country we'll save for another day. But here's how they advertised it:



There is that damned apostrophe abuse again. Oooh, that reminds me, I need to send in this photo to ApostropheAbuse.com. Yes, it's a whole website filled with reader photos of this blight. (Thanks to my friend Frank Murphy for the tip.) I'll leave you with a few more examples from the site but let me end with this advice if you are thinking of adding your own unnecessary apostrophes to try to make your nouns plural: Dont.

Comments

[Tiffany Begin]

I love today's blog!! I'm a freak in this matter. Have a great day!

[Mas*]

I hate apostrophe's.

[iheartbean]

Bean, Have you read "Eats, Shoots, & Leaves?" That is a great book that has a whole rant about the misuse of apostrophes. Her example is the movie "Two Weeks Notice."

[Chad]

How about the Oakland Athletics, known familiarly (and on their ball caps) as the "A's"? Isn't that a necessary abuse of an apostrophe? Without it, the hats would say "As". As what? I know there are other occasions like thi's where it seems to be acceptable to abuse an apostrophe, but right now it's too early for me to think of any.

[Paulie]

Chad, the apostrophe makes sense in the Oakland example because it is there because "A's" is a contraction. The apostrophe represents the letters that are missing in the word.

[Billy Medlock]

How funny!! You do a whole post about the abuse of the apostrophe and in your advice you say "Dont". Now your being too jewish with the apostrophe. It's "don't" Bean.

[Liz]

You go Paulie...tell that Chad about them A's......i heart me some Oak-town...possibly soon to be Freak-mont...*sniffle*

[Chrissy]

The Grad's & Dad's Gift's just gave me seizure's. See?!

And I second the recommendation for Eats, Shoots, & Leaves.

[Cathy]

Thank's Bean!!

[Dieri]

Wow Bean, for once, you posted something that is actually interesting AND funny! Am I really saying this about Bean's Blog?! But then again, I am a grammar freak.

[Mitt Romney for Janitor]

The abuse of the apostrophe is almost as bad as people who use the term "anyways".

Bean, since you are such a stickler about people using the phrase "Daylight SavingS Time", I would think you would also be annoyed with the use of the term "anyways". And yet, you use it in the blog entry today.

I am so let down.

[robert]

did you mean to leave the ' out of dont?

I'll leave you with a few more examples from the site but let me end with this advice if you are thinking of adding your own unnecessary apostrophes to try to make your nouns plural: Dont.

[Steve-O]

Seriously, people, do you not understand irony? Dont, Apostrophes's and Anyway's are all so clearly making fun of the common error that the post is about! Is this thing on? Sorry, Bean.

[Raul]

How about dedicating a blog entry to the whole I before E except after C and how many people mess that up on a daily basis.

[Kings Fan]

The basic reason people don't use proper punctuation is because they don't know the correct way. It was taught to us in spelling class in grammar school. It's a shame that people are so dumb that they don't know how to spell in their own language. Don't even get me started on text message spelling.

[Chrissy]

Kings Fan: (or King's)
UR NOT 1 4 TEH TXT MSSG?!

My own personal view, text messaging and it's grammar/spelling atrocities are another sign of the fall of Western Civilization, or the Apocalypse, you take your pick.

[cathy g.]

the same with its and it's (it is)...

that is whole other issue for me!!!

[Kings Fan]

Chrissy,

You're my girl! I totally agree with your comment.

[DeeJay]

Along with good penmanship, grammar is quickly becoming a lost art. Also, doesn't it bug the crap out of you when someone says "should of" instead of "should have"? The list is endless. Only in English is the "i" before "e" except after "c", unless it says "a" like neighbor and weigh !

[EditThis]

I have a huge issue with this topic, too. I used to work on a very high profile television show, and the 1st AD (who makes a sxxt load of money, btw) puts out a document for every script. What it is isn't important, but it goes to like 200 people including the entire cast and crew plus people at the network, etc. Well, anytime the letter "s" appeared on his docs, it would always be with an apostrophe. No matter what it was. The word would be "stairs" and would come out "stair's." So annoying.

[Jennifer]

I agree. The there, their, and they're thing also bothers me greatly.

[Suzy]

I agree with DeeJay. this is one of my biggest pet peeves ever. I don't understand people... I mean, do they THINK when they're writing??? how do people take English all their lives and still add apostrophes to plural words? it's not that complicated, they're actually doing more work by putting it in. bah.

[Brian]

I always get a kick out of people's apostrophe abuse (among other failed grammar uses) and am very careful not to do it myself, but it's not always easy. The other day I was IMing a friend and couldn't help but type "A's" and "B's" as we were talking about grades. I felt guilty about commiting apostrophe abuse but what was I to do?