Grammar Pet Peeves: Apostrophes

Plea for Proofreading

Perhaps this seems a bit random for me to post in a grammar guide, but the number of people who do not proofread their work seems to grow daily from my perspective. Social media, text messages, blog posts, it is as though no one has the time to make sure they don’t sound like an idiot. I know sometimes people are busy and just trying to sneak in enough time to get the words written, but it takes far less time to read through the words once before hitting submit than it did to write them. Proofreading will usually catch any number of typos, errors with verb tense (like writing in past tense and slipping in an ‘is’), punctuation mark issues, and generally make it easier to read for the rest of the world. Do remember that not everyone is fluent in English. Some errors will confuse people far more than you may realize.

I have also been disappointed lately in the number of ebooks I’ve read with proofreading errors. Many were self-published, yes, and perhaps the author was new enough at it that they didn’t have the money to hire an editor. That’s understandable, but doesn’t really make you look any better. Some of these authors wrote well but I know I’ll never pick up another book of theirs, and that’s undercutting the profits they may make. Even if you only find a friend willing to read through your story and mark errors, have someone else review your text.

This has been a public service announcement from Marie. Carry on. 🙂

Marie’s Grammar Corner

I understand that not everyone knows English as a first language, and even those who do have had different levels of education or understanding related to grammar. (I hated grammar lessons in school.) I get it. I do. But when the errors are so simple, I can only take so much. This is a writing-focused blog, so skimming this list of bad habits just to make sure you’re not writing lazy pidgin English is a strong recommendation.

I challenge everyone who writes to read through this list (even the not yet written categories) and be 100% sure they know exactly how to do each!

Things that drive me nuts:
● Lack of Proofreading!
● Apostrophe Use and Misuse
-?- Homophones (Words That Sound the Same) – coming soon!
-?- Subject/Verb Agreement and Tenses– coming soon!
-?- Proper Punctuation– coming soon!

Pet Peeve #1: Apostrophe Use and Misuse

The apostrophe (‘) is a wonderful character. We use it first to create contractions like I’m, doesn’t, or Ma’am, and secondly to show ownership (George’s shoe, the students’ work, the children’s toys). Please note that you do not use an apostrophe to make a plural noun!

Pronoun Rule and Contraction Confusion (It’s/Its and Let’s/Lets)

Another big issue with apostrophes is that pronouns don’t need apostrophes. Those boots are his, this essay is hers, that pen is yours, and the muffins are theirs… no apostrophes required. That’s also how you can quickly tell the difference between it’s and its; just like other pronouns, “its surface” and “its length” don’t require an apostrophe. By contrast, the contraction in “it’s (it is) a nice day” is necessary. So remember the pronoun rule. It will help with some of these other issues, too. The other common word confusion is the difference between let’s and lets; the contraction use of “let’s (let us) get going” does need an apostrophe, but “Mike lets his dogs out” is the correct present-tense form of the verb let (meaning to allow or permit).

So to summarize, you do use an apostrophe for contractions and ownership, you do not use one with plural nouns and pronouns. Because you were good and actually read this far, you get to see a more visual way to remember how to use apostrophes from The Oatmeal.

Possessive Nouns Done Correctly

Lower on my list of pet peeves is the fact that not everyone can create possessive nouns correctly. It’s really simple. I did include a note about style with the singular possessives below, if you want a longer explanation.

Word doesn’t end in S: add ‘s (cat’s tongue, enemy’s plan, children’s games, men’s bathroom)

(singular) Ends in S: add ‘ or ‘s (Jess’ shirt, the iris’s petals, James’ birthday, Texas’s oil industry)

(plural) Ends in S: add only ‘ (crickets’ chirping, the Smiths’ house, the parents’ bedroom)

NB: Both ‘ and ‘s are correct after a singular noun that ends with an ‘s’ in [American] English and are entirely a stylistic choice by the writer or the industry for which the writer is writing (professional style guides have their own rules you should follow). Depending on the age of certain texts (such as religious texts), older norms may prevail. Other countries’ English norms also vary, so use whichever is more normal for you. I like adding just the apostrophe, especially when you would say the word without the extra ‘s’ sound.

Stay tuned for more Grammar Pet Peeves in the future!
~Marie