# Two pits in one - Advertisers who should die and another example of rogue apostrophe. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857 "2004-01-31T00:55:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/21 "2004-01-31T17:39:55Z")
Best Buy is really bad about this, too. Simpson’s DVD.(printed release date poster) broadband internets (the internet isn’t plural) Lord of the Ring’s (ooh, lord of the Ring’s what?) et cetera et cetera. (high school King and I flashbacks… I have to go.) ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/22 "2004-01-31T18:25:00Z")
In Albany, there’s a bar called _Cheer’s_ (how original :rolleyes: ) that had a really nice sign made up. Like **Lobsang** said–one would think that a professional sign maker would have the editing abilities necessary to correct punctuation errors. But I’m probably asking too much. I know it’s a mild peeve, but the rogue apostrophe is one of mine. Ugh! ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/23 "2004-01-31T19:59:46Z")
Regarding professional sign makers: I used to do engraving for several years, including plaques, small indoor plastic signs, ADA braille, various awards, and so on. In many cases when an error like an apostrophe slips through, our business made an effort to correct it. Sometimes, however, we engraved the sign in error because the customer asked for it that way. I sometimes tried to point out that a particular use or spelling was wrong, but in some cases it was kind of ambiguous. Brass oval door place: THE SMITH’S or THE SMITHS? I always recommended without the apostrophe, but some people insisted upon it, and they’re the ones paying. Okay. You could make a case for the apostrophe; the SMITHS do own the house and this house is the SMITH’S. Special award given by the coaches: COACH’S AWARD or COACHES AWARD? Who cares? Just pick something and I’ll engrave it. It’s your lousy team. Sooner or later, I think a signmaker gets to the point where he says, “Look, I know what’s correct grammatically, but what are y’all gonna _pay_ for?” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/24 "2004-01-31T20:38:26Z")
> [@everton](#): > > “Its” doesn’t need an apostrophe any more than “his”, or “hers” or “ours” does. “It’s hanging” means “it is hanging”. “Rod’s” is worse though. Sometimes I think they do it deliberately to wind people like **jjimm** up. Too fucking right mate. While we’re on the subject, I must blow my own trumpet here and say that my personal contribution to The Apostrophe Protection Society website was recently mentioned by Lynn Truss on page 7 of her wonderful new book [Eats Shoots and Leaves](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592400876/qid=1075581299/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9050234-0087131?v=glance&s=books): namely “Bob,s Pets”, which I photographed in Dublin last summer (column 2, row 5 on [this page](http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/examples_4.htm)). Can I also point out here that **Lobsang** ’s usage of the word “hanged” is incorrect in this usage. He should have used “hung”, since “hanged” only refers to killing by rope. ---
**Author:** ![E72521](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@E72521](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E72521)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/25 "2004-01-31T22:08:23Z")
Maybe Nod and Rod are busines’s partner’s. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/26 "2004-01-31T23:31:41Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > (column 2, row 5 on [this page](http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/examples_4.htm)). There’s one from the BBC website on that page. One too bloody few! The BBC website is riddled with spelling and grammar errors on a regular basis! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/27 "2004-01-31T23:53:54Z")
I saw a T-shirt in a store a couple of days ago that said “Mom’s are great!” WTF? A _freakin’ professionally made T-shirt_!! Yeah, this one frosts my shorts (or should I say “short’s” :rolleyes: ) too! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/28 "2004-02-01T01:01:46Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Egg on my face, big discrace, kicking my spam all over the place. Since this thread has turned into a “Let’s nitpick **Lobsang** ’s posts” thread, I’ll just add that he also misspelled “disgrace.” Better luck next time, chum. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857/29 "2004-02-01T02:48:06Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Brass oval door place: THE SMITH’S or THE SMITHS? I always recommended without the apostrophe, but some people insisted upon it, and they’re the ones paying. Okay. You could make a case for the apostrophe; the SMITHS do own the house and this house is the SMITH’S. I don’t think “Smith’s” is ever right, unless the house belongs to a local blacksmith or something. The name is “Smith” so you could use “Smiths” to mean that the whole family was there. Or you could use “Smiths’” with an apostrophe after the ‘s’ to indicate that the house belonged to the Smiths, in which case it’s both plural and possessive. Anyway, I love that guide from Bob the Angry Flower. I suspect we could alleviate a lot of stress on The Hamster’s (sorry…) by linking to that in a sticky at the top of the Pit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-pits-in-one-advertisers-who-should-die-and-another-example-of-rogue-apostrophe/226857.md?page=1)