# How much does making plurals with apostrophes bother you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158 "2011-11-16T19:09:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/1 "2011-11-16T19:09:18Z")
We’ve all seen it: writing _sandwich’s_ when we mean _sandwiches_, _table’s_ for _tables_, and so forth. I suspect the practice had its origin in the creation of plurals for numbers – the 1900’s and so forth. But whatever its provenance, the practice is growing more and more widespread; even grammar fascists do it sometimes, as if we’ve absorbed the notion by osmosis. Does reading sentences like “The first two element’s on the periodic table – hydrogen and helium – are both gas’s” bother you? Make you think less of the writer? Or does it just strike you as part of the evolution of the language? Poll in a moment, but you needn’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/2 "2011-11-16T19:11:55Z")
Yes. Very much so. If I don’t know the person, it definitely colors my first impression. If I do know them I might tease them about it if it’s a friend. I wouldn’t say anything to a coworker, but given that I’m a technical writer, I would hope that my coworkers know better. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/3 "2011-11-16T19:17:39Z")
It makes me crazy, especially when it makes me doubt my own spelling abilities. And if it’s consistent in any given piece, the writer’s credibility is immediately suspect in my mind. I know that’s not fair, but too bad. If you can’t be conscientious enough to ensure your written words are correct, why should I trust that you know what you’re talking about. Now, how many errors will I find in this post after I post it?? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/4 "2011-11-16T19:22:32Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > It makes me crazy, especially when it makes me doubt my own spelling abilities. And if it’s consistent in any given piece, the writer’s credibility is immediately suspect in my mind. I know that’s not fair, but too bad. If you can’t be conscientious enough to ensure your written words are correct, why should I trust that you know what you’re talking about. > > Now, how many errors will I find in this post after I post it?? Two question marks? What are we to make of that? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/5 "2011-11-16T19:24:01Z")
It bugs me enormously, specially when it takes place in documents in Spanish. Spanish isn’t even supposed to use apostrophes to indicate “missing letters here”, damnit, we don’t have the “saxon genitive” since saxon isn’t one of the roots of our language, and now we get people putting an apostrophe in Spanish plurals! It’s not banco’s, _gilipollas_, it’s _bancos_! I’ve been known to go to my coworkers and give them the whole grammar rant, minus the 4LWs but plus the reminder that we’ve all seen corporate documents rejected because the writer couldn’t be bothered to use the spellchecker. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/6 "2011-11-16T19:26:33Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Two question marks? What are we to make of that? The second question mark in FCM’s last sentence is clearly an emigre from the previous once. The words in the prior sentence were probably bullying it. Question marks suffer enormously from bullying. You’d understand that if you weren’t a sadistic torturer of innocent travellers. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/7 "2011-11-16T19:27:36Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The second question mark in FCM’s last sentence is clearly an emigre from the previous once. The words in the prior sentence were probably bullying it. Question marks suffer enormously from bullying. You’d understand that if you weren’t a sadistic torturer of innocent travellers. Innocent? Really? Don’t be so sure. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/8 "2011-11-16T19:30:58Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Innocent? Really? Don’t be so sure. You were under surveillance the entire time, dude. Over 76% of the people you stretched out or cut short were guilty of nothing worse than blasphemy. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/9 "2011-11-16T19:33:28Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I suspect the practice had its origin in the creation of plurals for numbers – the 1900’s and so forth. I don’t do that. Why would anyone do that?!:mad: ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/10 "2011-11-16T19:34:08Z")
This error sticks out at me the most, I think because it’s the one that is clear cut wrong. I can never be too sure about all spelling errors or grammar errors, but I can’t think of any case where an apostrophe s creates a plural. Misspelling a plural I can forgive (it’s very hard for many words) but this one…it’s bad. My friend did it recently in a Facebook post using “trophy’s” for “trophies” and I know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed but I was sort of angry at him for doing it. The post was addressed to some teenagers he volunteers with so I was angry for him passing on that nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/11 "2011-11-16T19:43:00Z")
I don’t see an option for “wanting to go nuclear on their ass”. I mean, it is like a physical thing, and I get mad every time I see it. My SO laughs at me, but agrees with me when I say such people should be pointed at and laughed out of society. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/12 "2011-11-16T19:53:00Z")
When I do it I do it knowingly and intentionally. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/13 "2011-11-16T19:59:42Z")
I went ahead and voted both that I never do it and that I do it intentionally, because I was referring to correct usage. An apostrophe is correct when pluralizing lowercase letters or anything where the addition of an s would be confusing. But I never do it as a mistake. If anything, I forget and leave out the apostrophe. (Or, with plural possessives, I accidentally leave out the plural.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/14 "2011-11-16T20:12:37Z")
I recognize it as an error in most cases and don’t like it when I see it as such. But I’ll admit there are situations where I feel the apostrophe adds clarity and should be used. For example, I think it’s better to say _“the Beatles were a big group in the 60’s”_ rather than _“the Beatles were a big group in the 60s”_; or _“I got all A’s on my report card”_ rather than _“I got all As on my report card”_; or _“I have a large collection of dvd’s”_ rather than _“I have a large collection of dvds”_. I think eventually some pluralizations with an apostrophed s like those I gave will become acceptable usage. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/15 "2011-11-16T20:28:48Z")
As a freshman in college, when the professor gave our first papers back, he went into this calm, practical lesson on how /s/ was for plurals, /‘s/ was for possessives, and /s’/ was for both. I spent at least 10 minutes trying to figure out what the subtext was. I couldn’t understand why a college professor was going on and on about this obvious, well-known rule that no one ever gets wrong. Oh, my naivety. I absolutely put those writers in the same column as people who write “Thx 4 ur msg!” I imagine them thinking “Readin’ is hard!” while standing, scared and confused, in a library. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/16 "2011-11-16T20:30:29Z")
I am an editor, so things like that make me all stabby. Really, I am trying to breathe deeply and tell myself “you’re not at work, you are not being paid to edit _everyone_.” When it’s at a shop I frequent often, I may mention it to the shopkeeper in a friendly, apologetic way. It \*never \*gets corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/17 "2011-11-16T20:34:50Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I am an editor, so things like that make me all stabby. > > Really, I am trying to breathe deeply and tell myself “you’re not at work, you are not being paid to edit _everyone_.” When it’s at a shop I frequent often, I may mention it to the shopkeeper in a friendly, apologetic way. It \*never \*gets corrected. “Eats, shoots and leaves”. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/18 "2011-11-16T20:37:43Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > “Eats, shoots and leaves”. :: ducks a fraction too slowly and takes one it in the shoulder :: Dammit, Mika, I gave you that thing to protect you, not to hurt me! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/19 "2011-11-16T20:38:12Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I absolutely put those writers in the same column as people who write “Thx 4 ur msg!” I put them in the same category as people who return phone calls simply because the number shows up on their caller ID, even if no message was left asking them to. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158/20 "2011-11-16T20:42:55Z")
I am more forgiving of lazy omissions (e.g. using didnt instead of didn’t; confusing its and it’s) than I am of errors where the person requires extra effor on the person’s part to create and error (grocer’s apostrophe’s). I hate it because I cannot conceive of how this error can be made. It requires a simple construction (add an “s” or “es”!) being made difficult. Oh and 1960s vs 1960’s I don’t care about, primarily because both are awkward constructions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-making-plurals-with-apostrophes-bother-you/603158.md?page=2)