Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (Full Version)

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MistressDarkArt -> Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 7:59:24 PM)

More and more I've been seeing 's used for making a noun plural by writers whose native language is English. I'm not referring to the 's in the possessive context here.

Typical examples I've seen on these boards (and elsewhere) have been:

"Are any domme's or domina's into adult baby's and diaper's? (correct sentence version: dommes, dominas, babies, diapers)
"We have two new puppy's, two horse's and three cat's at our house." (correct sentence version: puppies, horses, cats)
"Where do new sub's find good master's?" (correct sentence version: subs, masters)

I realize written language changes all the time, so I'm just curious what may have caused this phenomenon and why. It seems to have gone far beyond the predictable its, it's, and its' confusion. It also doesn't seem to be directly related to intelligence; some of my favorite scary-smart posters here do this frequently.

Thank you for possible "insight's", [8D] my fellow grammar freaks.



kalikshama -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:01:49 PM)

Whatever's causing it, make it stop!!!

[image]http://31.media.tumblr.com/cde57e0e4ba7c20b23672a9dcdfabbd1/tumblr_muq27q32mS1r50a8ko1_500.jpg[/image]



littlewonder -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:02:55 PM)

What's causing it? Our schools no longer teach anything.



PeonForHer -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:07:12 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

What's causing it? Our schools no longer teach anything.



Bollock's!



kalikshama -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:07:38 PM)

[image]http://societyforqualityeducation.org/images/uploads/apostrophes.jpeg[/image]



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:08:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

Whatever's causing it, make it stop!!!

[image]http://31.media.tumblr.com/cde57e0e4ba7c20b23672a9dcdfabbd1/tumblr_muq27q32mS1r50a8ko1_500.jpg[/image]


[sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif]



kalikshama -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:08:47 PM)

[image]http://www.apostropheabuse.com/wp-content/uploads/image-import/_aR7uIk5VS2Y/Sd4UWkJwpuI/AAAAAAAAFfQ/-a9qqwQIYb4/s400/apostrophe3.jpg[/image]



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:10:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

[image]http://www.grammarics.com/wp-content/uploads/Angry-Flower-Apostrophe.jpg[/image]


Loves this!!

Or should I say: love's this!



PeonForHer -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:12:24 PM)

I have a hypothesis that where people aren't sure, they'll err on the side of 'more punctuation rather than less'. Roughly, 'Should it have a pointless dot in it somewhere? Who knows? Put one in to be on the safe side.'

What really gets me, though, is when I see it in an obviously expensive and lovingly crafted shop-sign. I don't quite see how somebody can labour for hours creating such signs without bothering to look up the spelling and grammar involved.



RemoteUser -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:12:40 PM)

It's allrite, people jest get cunfused by plurels and propertys.

As for why, I'll show you by comforting you:

Their, they're, there. (It's ok.)



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:13:10 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

[image]http://societyforqualityeducation.org/images/uploads/apostrophes.jpeg[/image]


Ouch!! Good one!



kalikshama -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:13:43 PM)

I see "your" incorrectly used for "you're" all the time - but never by my non-native English speaking coworkers.



TNDommeK -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:14:11 PM)

How do people not know this?



kalikshama -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:15:21 PM)

quote:

What really gets me, though, is when I see it in an obviously expensive and lovingly crafted shop-sign. I don't quite see how somebody can labour for hours creating such signs without bothering to look up the spelling and grammar involved.


http://www.apostropheabuse.com/

Apostrophe Abuse

Links and visuals illustrating an orthographic pet peeve.



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:15:35 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

What's causing it? Our schools no longer teach anything.



But lw, how does that account for the scary-smart folks in their 50s (or would that be 50's [8D]) or 60s who are obviously otherwise well educated?



PeonForHer -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:17:37 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

I see "your" incorrectly used for "you're" all the time - but never by my non-native English speaking coworkers.


A teacher of English as a foreign language - Sunshinemiss, IIRC, once explained that this was because of the different way in which foreign speakers and native speakers learn English - the latter learning to speak it before they learn to write it. It happens with homophones mostly, for that reason.



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:18:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

I see "your" incorrectly used for "you're" all the time - but never by my non-native English speaking coworkers.


As well as "there", "their" and "they're"...but the non-English-native folks get it right almost every time while Americans of all ages fail miserably! So what gives?

Edit for typo



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:20:09 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: PeonForHer

A teacher of English as a foreign language - Sunshinemiss, IIRC, once explained that this was because of the different way in which foreign speakers and native speakers learn English - the latter learning to speak it before they learn to write it. It happens with homophones mostly, for that reason.


Pe, I humbly admit I had to look up 'homophone', having never heard or used it in a sentence before. Took me down a notch, I tell ya! [8D]



MistressDarkArt -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:23:51 PM)

OK, this just went by on the scroll:

http://www.collarchat.com/m_4661608/mpage_1/tm.htm

Considering LOL is not really a word, was the OP of that title incorrect when he typed "LOL'ed"?



RemoteUser -> RE: Apostrophe S: 's for plural? (3/22/2014 8:24:53 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressDarkArt

quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

I see "your" incorrectly used for "you're" all the time - but never by my non-native English speaking coworkers.


As well as "there", "their" and "they're"...but the non-English-native folks get it right almost every time while Americans of all ages fail miserably! So what gives?

Edit for typo


Copycat.



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