My manifesto is simple - if you don't know how to use them correctly, learn, or refrain from typing. At all, to anyone. Ever. Particularly me.
To channel my rage, I am posting the incorrect apostrophes I come across. I've been carrying my camera around all week taking pictures. I'm not sure I'll be able to post everything I find because once I added spelling mistakes to my list, I got a lot of photos... so here are the apostrophe f**k ups. In discussion with the family about my photos my dad however made the call of the century with reference to the menu board photo - " but the eggs belong to the bacon!" - and he's right, I think, on a lot of levels. So at least my teeth-grashing and wailing stopped for long enough for someone to make a funny.
But bad grammar isn't funny.
For those who want to find out why these are wrong ( plural, not possessive!) go read Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. I'm not going to explain, because you should know!
2 comments:
Hi, Claire. Great blog!
Mailboxes/Welcome Mats/Porch Signs make the most horrendous apostrophe catastrophes. I wish retailers would unite to pluralize surnames correctly. At the very least, make a sign that reads, "The Smiths' House." (That would probably end up reading, "The Smith's House" which is equally annoying.
I found a website called rusticdecorating dot com that sells Family Name Signs but they have a note on the item description that says you may order them without an apostrophe rather than WITH the apostrophe as the picture shows. Would idiot or non-idiot retail marketing be considered equal opportunity?
I was talking about the apostrophe issue with some of my colleagues over lunch and the only thing we could come up with to explain apostrophe mistakes is that sign writers charge by the letter and are therefore making money through superfluous apostophes. However this is predicated on the hopeful assumption that people know how to use apostrophes correctly and choose not to for financial gain.
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