Without going too much into the origin of the good ole apostrophe, it is an essential part of the English language, and I get annoyed by people misusing it. Apostrophes denote that letters have been omitted, and the word containing an apostrophe is either a contraction of two words, or a shortened one.
The most abused contraction is It is. Which of course gets turned into It's, if used properly.
Cue the possessive its. Example: The cat licked its fur.
Now for the confusion: It's clear that the cat has licked its fur. Some people will jumble up the apostrophes and write Its clear that the cat has licked it's fur. Cue some pretty sulphurous remarks from this writer.
I would be mortified to find I'd made that mistake!
ReplyDeleteMartha :-)
Isn't it amazing how confusing it can be ~ Take care and enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteKatie
I do not know if I have ever done this, but I think if I did, it would annoy even me.
ReplyDelete:)
God bless-
Amanda
That is one that irritates me, too. I especially get irritated when I'm the one who makes the mistake! lol
ReplyDeleteLori
I am loving these... from both of you!
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
I'm a little behind on reading journals, so just now discovered this one. I I'll stop back soon, read, and comment.
ReplyDeleteSmiles, Leigh
I was thinking this was a shared journal and I was going to make a post of this but I wanted to include it here so here goes...
ReplyDeleteBasic English 101:
your--elating to you or yourself
you're--eaning you are
have--o hold or maintain as a possession
half--either of two equal parts
I cannot stand it when these are mixed up-I wonder if people are confused,ignorant,or
just plain lackadaisical.
I will not post a tag that has 'your welcome'
That is the same as condoning that way of wording the paraphrase.
If someone writes I half to go to the store-Oh please -just shoot me now!!
~connie~
Oh Phooey-
ReplyDeletethe 'r' in relating was cut off when I added a hyphen- here it all is --
Basic English 101:
your-relating to you or yourself
you're-meaning you are
have-to hold or maintain as a possession
half-either of two equal parts
I cannot stand it when these are mixed up-I wonder if people are confused,ignorant,or
just plain lackadaisical.
I will not post a tag that has 'your welcome'
That is the same as condoning that way of wording the paraphrase.
If someone writes I half to go to the store-Oh please -just shoot me now!!
lol..I think I'm going to love and learn from this new journal of yours!
ReplyDeleteGem :-)
http://journals.aol.com/libragem007/collage/entries/2007/12/31/2007--a-year-in-review--/1769
The misue of the apostrophe as in it's is one of my peeves, too. I can't believe people do it so often. One way I learned not to do it is to say it in full and then you can easily see when the apostrophe is in order. Othewise don't use one. I have always used that rule to keep from making that mistake. Gerry
ReplyDeletehttp://journals.aol.com/gehi6/daughters-of-the-shadow-men/
Guido, I'm with you on this!
ReplyDeleteTraci