Tag: apostrophes

A Writer’s Bane: The Disease’s of Apostrophe’s

its vs its todays lesson chalkboardI first began to notice it many years ago. Some people had trouble with its and it’s, a common confusion. But then it began to spread, like a cancer, across Facebook and Twitter, those bastions of common usage and colloquialism. When it began showing up in writers’ forums, I knew it was reaching epic proportions. The virulent, creeping Disease’s of the Apostrophe’s.

  • “I bought some DVD’s …”
  • “How many like’s can I get …”
  • “Where can I promote my book’s for Kindle…”

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Introducing the Seasonal Apostrophe

I mentioned my mad summer wasping job last month. I have no particular excuse for doing bonkers things for a living except that sometimes they provide good fodder for books, but I wasn’t expecting this one to introduce me to a whole new concept in punctuation. Maybe being an apostrophile means that you find such joys everywhere but I have to share this one. Here is the story of the seasonal apostrophe.

This is the third summer I have spent killing wasps for a living. And it’s the third year The Boss and I have debated the seasonal apostrophe, proudly invented by The Boss himself. It amuses us but it also creates an annual row about my van’s livery. Continue reading “Introducing the Seasonal Apostrophe”

A Helping Hand…Punctuation Part 2 – Apostrophes

rainbow punctuation-787593_640Right! We did semi-colons in the last tutorial (see here). I thought I would tackle the apostrophe next. It’s another member in the punctuation cast list which has only a few functions but seems to cause an awful lot of confusion.

So, children, you’ve had morning break, please go back to your desks.

Stephen! Don’t try and carry the chair with Al still on it, dear.

Chris! Please don’t put that eraser in Carol’s ear. Pardon Chris? Yes, I know it’s soft, but she still doesn’t like it.

Sorry, Jim, what did you say? You want to put your raincoat on in case it rains? It won’t rain indoors, dear. No, Yvonne certainly won’t pour water over you.

Dan, please don’t fill Lois’s satchel with milk.

Kat!!!!!!………..Please don’t do that.

(In memory of the very wonderful Joyce Grenfell)

So, if we are all sitting comfortably…

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