Posts tagged The Apostrophe Series

Ummm, you might want to remove the ‘s at the end of that verb…

May25
2010 1 Comment Written by Renelle George
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

I thought this was a given, but clearly I was wrong.  Verbs don’t need an ‘s tacked on to their rear end.  He knows, NOT know’s.  He doesn’t know’s a damn thing.  (And clearly you don’t either if you wrote it!).  I know, you know, he/she/it knows.  No magic, no math.  Just an ‘s’ people, just an ‘s’.  The apostrophe is not invited to this party.  And guess what?  He doesn’t want to be there either!

The apostrophe indicates ownership.  Jack’s car – the car Jack owns, or the car belonging to Jack.  Verbs can’t own things…

Apostrophes are also used for contractions (not the kind women have during childbirth, but if that helps you remember, go for it!).  Therefore, can’t is the contracted form of cannot.  See the lil apostrophe in there?  Expand the contraction.

Check  out the other posts in The Apostrophe Series – who knows, you might get to know a wee bit more about our friend, the apostrophe!

Posted in Common Grammar Errors - Tagged , , , , ,

Mother’s, Mothers’, or Mothers Day?

May09
2010 6 Comments Written by Renelle George
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

I’m breaking the “every other day” posting cycle on this auspicious occasion, widely known as Mother’s Day.  I was penning a note to a friend earlier and no sooner had I written “Happy Mother’s Day” than I questioned whether  the positioning of the apostrophe was correct.  Shouldn’t it be Mothers’ Day?  I mean, it’s a day to celebrate all mothers, isn’t it?  Oh TWF, what have you done to me?!?  Can I not share greetings to my loved ones in peace?

I brushed it off ever so gently, but upon a suggestion from a trusted fan of The Write Foot (thanks Stephen!) I decided to do some research and post my findings here.  As it turns out, the grammar gods are a little bit flexible on this one.  They actually allow us to decide whether we treat mother as singular (your own mother, therefore Mother’s Day) or plural (Mothers’ Day).  There’s even Mothers Day if you treat mother as an adjective describing the word day (I’d personally draw the line here, but I suppose mother is no less descriptive than teacher, author, or housewife – thoughts?).  Check The Blue Book’s Confusing Possessives for additional details.

Whether you prefer to call it Mother’s Day, Mothers’ Day, or Mothers Day (gag), be sure to show some love to the mothers in your lives today, will you?

Cheers!

Posted in Out of Sorts - Tagged , , , , ,

Your welcome, as opposed to mine?

May08
2010 4 Comments Written by Renelle George
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

I see this one so frequently that it is worth its own post (see earlier post on the use of your vs. you’re).  I think people just don’t get it, so I’m here to set them straight… or as I like to say, put them on “the write foot.”

It’s you’re welcome, NOT your welcome.  Your eyes, ears, head, big toe – anything else.  But the response to “thank you” is you’re welcome.  As in, you are welcome.  Remember, expand the contraction.

The words that follow your are objects (nouns) indicating ownership.  Do you own welcome?  Highly unlikely, though one can’t be too certain these days.  You may have the distinct honor of delivering a welcome speech or address at an event, in which case, the use of your is entirely appropriate: your welcome address, your welcome speech.  You see, the welcome address/speech is the thing that you “own” because you’ve written and delivered it.  It’s not unlike your rendition, performance, recital, etc.

I think you should be straight on this one, but if you still can’t remember, use “Don’t mention it” or “No problem” as a substitute.  Even “De nada” is better – your audience will be impressed by your knowledge of another language (even if it’s a mere two words).  Save yourself the stress and embarrassment of using the wrong form.  And save me from fighting a losing battle to contain myself when you don’t get it right :)

Don’t forget to check out the other posts in The Apostrophe Series!

Posted in Common Grammar Errors - Tagged , , , , , ,

You’re out of your mind… you really are!

May06
2010 2 Comments Written by Shivana Mohammed
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

Do not let ‘you’re’ mistake be your downfall. Too many people with fluid English language writing skills overlook this simple distinction.  The misuse of your and you’re often makes otherwise sound arguments seem sloppy.

The difference is simple.  Your is a possessive pronoun meaning ‘something that belongs to you’.  It is also an attributive adjective; it relates to a noun the same way other adjectives do.  If red or green identify the color of a book, for instance, your identifies the owner of the book.  Example: The red book is your book.  Your book, your ideas, your mistakes, your uncanny ability to overlook that squiggly green line in the spell check (hypothetically speaking, of course).

On the other hand, you’re is the contracted  form of you are.  You’re (you are) now amazed at the simplicity of your errors, aren’t you?!

If you’re still not sure about using you’re vs. your, try the replacement test: replace you’re with you are (expand the contraction).

Example: It is ___________ responsibility to conserve water!

Your, or you’re?  I doubt you’re trying to say, “It is ‘you are’ responsibility to conserve water”, so you should fill in the blank with your instead.  Therefore, the sentence should read:

It is your responsibility to conserve water.

I bet you can now see how silly a mistake this is!

Where you’re fails, you’re go for using your!  Remember, ‘Don’t let your mistakes be your downfall!’

Posted in Common Grammar Errors - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

It’s ours; it’s certainly not “their’s…”

May04
2010 4 Comments Written by Renelle George
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

Dear reader of The Write Foot,

I must apologize for the assumption I made in my last post, Which is it, its or it’s? (part one of The Apostrophe Series).  I mistakenly believed that people were aware of the use of his, hers, theirs, ours, etc.  This was a gross oversight on my part.  An earlier sighting of our’s and their’s drew my attention to this shortcoming.  And so, in lieu of the post which I had intended to publish today, I am taking a few steps back to address the concern and remedy the situation.

Loyal fans, followers, friends, enemies… there is no apostrophe present in ours, his, hers, theirs, etc.  THE END.

But, for the sake of completeness, I continue.

The apostrophe is used to reflect ownership.  Thus, expanding the contraction:

  • Jack’s car = the car belonging to Jack / the car Jack owns
  • Mary’s dog = the dog belonging to Mary / the dog Mary owns

The apostrophe is not only limited to objects, but to actions related to the individual(s) performing the action as well.  Hence,

  • The group’s presentation = the presentation done by the group

In English, the possessive pronouns his, hers, and ours/theirs indicate the ownership relationship between Jack and his car, Mary and her dog, and the group and its presentation.  These words DO NOT include the apostrophe:

  • Whose car was towed?  His (his own).
  • Whose dog ran away?  Hers (her own).
  • Whose presentation is the teacher referring to?  Ours (our own)
  • Whose presentation is being discussed?  Theirs (their own)

Get it?  Omit the apostrophe when using his, hers, ours and theirs (it’s that simple!).

See you next time, when The Apostrophe Series continues.

Please note: This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is merely coincidental.

Posted in Common Grammar Errors, Commonly Misspelled Words - Tagged , , , , , , ,

Which is it, its or it’s?

May02
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Renelle George
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series The Apostrophe Series

Looking for a surefire way to make me cringe? Use its instead of it’s (or vice versa, I’m not partial).  Let me introduce you to my friend, the apostrophe – it’s a little symbol, but it makes a huge difference (not unlike the author of this blog… see, you should never underestimate the little folk ;) ).

A little help: it’s = it is.  The apostrophe simply contracts the two.  So it’s “It’s your birthday” because it is your birthday (happy birthday, by the way).  Its is not unlike his, hers, yours, theirs, ours, etc. in usage.  Its is used with objects, also known as nouns:

  • A shoe – its sole, its heel, its laces
  • A horse – its saddle, its eyes, its rider
  • A country – its citizens, its government, its laws

Got it?  Whenever you need to figure out whether the correct usage is it’s or its, simply expand the contraction of it’s and see whether it makes sense.

Example: _______ too hot in here.

Is it its or it’s?  “It is” too hot in here, so the contracted version it’s is correct.  Remember, expand the contraction and fill in the correct form.

Alternatively, you may substitute one of the above pronouns to help you decide.  Let’s try filling in the blank with his.  Using the same example, “His too hot in here” makes absolutely no sense, so its won’t work either.

Stay tuned for more posts on the apostrophe.  And since you’re now an expert on the use of it’s vs. its, click the share button below and help me convert the world!

Posted in Common Grammar Errors - Tagged , , , , , , ,

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