Those Pesky Apostrophe’s

Posted on May 29, 2013 | 24 Comments

Sometime’s they appear where they should not be.

And they dont appear where they should.

Ketchum Street sign

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24 responses to “Those Pesky Apostrophe’s”

  2. Tom Feeley | May 29, 2013 at 12:04 pm |

    ‘ 😉

  3. tommy greenwald | May 29, 2013 at 12:05 pm |

    its a real problem.

  4. David Stalling | May 29, 2013 at 12:08 pm |

    Sign’s of the time?

  5. Barbara Sherburne '67 | May 29, 2013 at 12:13 pm |

    I assume it was deliberate to write Apostrophe’s. Yeah, it drives me nuts as a proofreader. Your so right.

  6. Lee Fleming | May 29, 2013 at 12:18 pm |

    What makes me crazy is when I find myself making the same mistake because it’s so ubiquitous — I see it hundred’s of places …

  7. william adler | May 29, 2013 at 12:20 pm |

    Its’ a curse to have an eye that cannot stop looking for peoples mistaken use’s of apostrophe’s. I can’t even get through a menu without stumbling over them!

  8. Jocelyn Barandiaran | May 29, 2013 at 12:20 pm |

    So it’s not just me (I mean I) !
    Thanks, Dan — you hit on one of my (too many) pet peeves. OK, not everyone on the planet has to have perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but it would be nice if those publishing for public view could get this right. Then again, maybe the sign-maker intended to provide a great teaching moment: next time you pass the sign with an elementary school-aged (or older) child (or adult), see if they can spot the two errors. Where’s Waldo for Grammarians!

  9. Mary Ann West | May 29, 2013 at 1:04 pm |

    You hit the mark again, Dan.
    Add to those pesky and way over used apostrophe’s, and commas, the ubiquitous colon: vs.semicolon; and of course the word/meaning mix-ups so commonly screwed up blog postings: their, they’re or there, effect vs. affect, your, you’re or yours, etc… don’t get me started… Uugh!

    Of course my favorite sign, seen at a Maryland McDonald’s:
    “Parking for Drive Through Only”

    • Barbara Sherburne '67 | May 29, 2013 at 3:27 pm |

      I think what perhaps drives me even more nuts than the misuse of apostrophes is seeing ur and many other shortcuts. Like how much time do you need to save? How about the difference between too and to? Can it be that difficult? Of course the shortcut would be 2. 🙂 I have to get back to my proofreading in a heart beat or maybe in an airplane hanger.

  10. John Hartwell | May 29, 2013 at 1:10 pm |

    Its all because of the Time’s and their stupid way of spelling TVs. Now everyones’ confused!

  11. Angela | May 29, 2013 at 1:15 pm |

    Glad you noticed error!

  12. Judy Kantor | May 29, 2013 at 4:52 pm |

    To Dan Woog: Apostrophes is a plural word, and does not require the ‘ before the s! Judy Kantor

  13. Carl Addison Swanson III | May 29, 2013 at 4:59 pm |

    Regardless of the English lesson, far far too many signs in this town.

  14. Dan Woog | May 29, 2013 at 5:09 pm |

    And don’t get me “started” on the “misuse” of “quotation marks” on signs and trucks!

  15. Eric William Buchroeder | May 29, 2013 at 7:03 pm |

    Dan,
    Thank you for your vigilance. Deep down in places we don’t like to talk about at parties, we WANT you on that wall. We Need you on that wall.

    • Gary Singer | May 29, 2013 at 7:39 pm |

      THAT’s funny!!! And I can handle the truth.

      • Eric William Buchroeder | May 30, 2013 at 8:23 am |

        After all, all Westporters eat breakfast 1500 miles from 3 million Cubans who are trained to kill us.

  16. Mark Mathias | May 31, 2013 at 6:10 pm |

    A related pet peeve of mine is a mathematical one. Often times people price something like .39₵. They typically mean 39₵, but with the decimal point in front, .39c is really $0.0039 a factor of 100 less. I see this in stores, advertisements, all over the place. If you try to tell someone why .39₵ is less than a half a penny, they typically give you a blank stare. And it’s not just .39₵ that’s used. In fact, one of the more popular prices I see is .99₵, which they usually mean 99₵ or $0.99, but by saying .99₵, they are saying less than one penny. When you see a price like this, give them a penny and offer to let them keep the change. Keep your eyes peeled. It doesn’t take longer than about a day to see these examples.