GrammarBlog

Labels: apostrophe, apostrophe abuse, McCain, Obama, politics

Electronic'S - R - US, originally uploaded by Dan of Future's Past.

This is a horror show of a sign.

It always irks me how "toysRus" turned a repugnantly illiterate phrase into a brand name, so I obviously hate to see it copied. When combined with apostrophe abuse, this causes my eyelid to twitch à la the captain from Police Academy.

I post this in the knowledge that fellow GrammarBlogger Tom (should we begin to employ GrammarBlog as a surname when referring to a member of our fraternity?) will be horrified at yet another unwise application of the Bank Gothic typeface.

Labels: apostrophe, apostrophe abuse, bank gothic, marketing copy, punctuation, signage, Typography

Last week I asked a question: how should those silly folks in the Apprentice have punctuated their card? National Single's Day, National Singles' Day or National Singles Day?

We had quite a few responses in line with my first reaction, such as this one from Andrew.

Singles', because it's both possessive and plural. I don't see why this is hard!

So it's easy. Or is it? I remembered some confusion similar to this during the writers strike (note the lack of apostrophe). I did see one paper refer to it as the "writers' strike" but most took the view that the act was a strike and the word "writers" described who was striking. We all know that a word describing a noun is an adjective and adjectives are not possessive. No apostrophe.

Grammar Girl (whose website is now my primary reference for a sensible and informed opinion on all grammar matters) has this to say.

I believe it's pretty clear that the writers don't own the strike, and that the word writers is there to tell us more about what kind of strike it is. So I'd leave out the apostrophe.

On the other hand, I'd include the apostrophe in homeowners' association, at least when the homeowners actually own or control the association that manages their property.

So the question is, does the day belong to the singles or not?

My view is that National Singles Day is a day to celebrate singles, such as Pancake Day is a day to celebrate the pancake.  So no apostrophe is required.

There are many examples of possessed days; These are usually singular: Valentine's day, St. George's day, Mother's day (contentious I know, but you've only got one Mum). There are also examples, as pointed out by Binary Tales, of plurals owning a day. These include National Parks' Week World Teachers' Day and International Women's Day.

The point here is that the contestants in the apprentice were inventing a new occasion. So they can call it what they choose; National Singles' Day is acceptable. However I prefer National Singles Day, especially in the context of a greetings card, for both logical and aesthetic reasons.

Labels: apostrophe, debate, punctuation

A clip from last night's Apprentice in which the contestants debate the placement of an apostrophe for about 3 hours.

Labels: apostrophe, BBC, the apprentice, video

Labels: apostrophe, grammar, privatisation, the clash, train in vain, trains

I have to confess to being a bit of a Valentine's grinch. My girlfriend can drop all the hints in the world and I'll still forget to buy a card or gift. I don't know who decided it was romantic to throw money into Hallmark's bank account and contribute to the destruction of the rainforests once a year.

I know what you're thinking: she is one lucky, lucky lady. And I correct her grammar.

So, in the spirit of the day and to thank her for putting up with this incessant curmudgeon, I would like to dedicate this post to my long-suffering girlfriend. (A blog post is more environmentally friendly than a card, and conveniently free.)

First up we have an accept/except confusion combined with a missing possessive apostrophe.

Found here

Next: today's post from Passive Aggressive Notes is a cracker. It qualifies for GrammarBlog due to the heartbreaking misspelling.

I hope Gavin doesn't come home to find his bunny in a pot.

Labels: apostrophe, punctuation, spelling, Valentine's, wrong word