# Apostrophe usage question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 27, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427 "2008-02-27T22:34:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427/21 "2008-02-28T08:18:29Z")

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[QUOTE=MrSquishy]  
I don’t understand the distinction between “ma’am” or “fo’c’sle” and “gov’t” or “int’l”; why are the former single-word contractions and the latter abbreviations?  
[/QUOTE]

“Ma’am” and “fo’c’sle” are written representations of spoken contractions – the way they appear on the page is how they’re pronounced. “Gov’t” and “int’l” are only abbreviated that way in writing – you’d never _say_ them like that.

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**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427/22 "2008-02-28T18:14:44Z")

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It would appear that the illiterati have unilaterally decided that the plural of any foreign-looking word or of one ending with a vowel [e.g. the almost ubiquitous “pizza’s”] should have an apostrophe because, well, it looks better, dunnit?

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**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427/23 "2008-02-28T18:21:50Z")

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[QUOTE=Patty O’Furniture]  
You’d think a straight A student would know that. Then again what do I know, my report cards were always full of Bs.  
[/QUOTE]

Ever get stung?

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**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427/24 "2008-02-28T19:36:38Z")

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[QUOTE=WotNot]  
“Ma’am” and “fo’c’sle” are written representations of spoken contractions – the way they appear on the page is how they’re pronounced. “Gov’t” and “int’l” are only abbreviated that way in writing – you’d never _say_ them like that.  
[/QUOTE]  
Aha, thanks.

I think I’m going to start _saying_ “gov’t” and “int’l”, just to piss people off.

[QUOTE=seosamh]  
It would appear that the illiterati have unilaterally decided that the plural of any foreign-looking word or of one ending with a vowel [e.g. the almost ubiquitous “pizza’s”] should have an apostrophe because, well, it looks better, dunnit?  
[/QUOTE]  
I was wondering if that was the case with “knive’s and forks”; the vowel on the end somehow makes the difference.

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**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apostrophe-usage-question/439427/25 "2008-02-28T19:40:55Z")

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[QUOTE=Patty O’Furniture]  
Roger, that!  
[/QUOTE]  
Sorry, I’m not a condosexual.  
I’ve got to take my…mind…out of its gutter

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