[Fleecewife]

Please can we ban apostrophes on TAS as no-one ever gets them right (me included  )  They are like the Highland midge to me - a constant background annoyance and probably totally unneccessary to the planet.

[plumseverywhere]

I am one of the worst for this!! Most of the time I can't even spell, let alone use apostrophes 

[deepinthewoods]

cl snds gd 2 me, txtin wd be fn 2 i fink.

[in the hills]

Agreed. I do know where to put them but alas cant find them on the keyboard. 
 
Always use them when writing but never find the time to experiment and find them when typing. Assume everyone will understand me as long as I use full stops. 

[jaykay]

Full stops and short sentences are good  With gaps in between the sentences sometimes.

I really struggle with the 'stream of consciouosness' posts that are many lines long with no full stops or gaps. My brain can no longer hold that amount of information at once 

As for apostrophes - well, the odd sprinkling makes little difference to understanding as far as I can see. I try hard with them but I know I get them wrong (the head of English keeps letting me know  ).

[HappyHippy]

I try to get them in the right places, think I manage it mostly 
But I know Rosemary will spot every single one that's wrong           
 
What's the wee thing about the cats tails - I vaguely remember that from school 

[jaykay]

Don't know the one about cats tails? But am guessing - Cat's tails - i.e. one many tailed cat. Cats' tails - one each, but several cats?

Slightly off-topic, I saw one I liked on a classroom wall:

'Commas save lives:

Let's eat Grandad

Let's eat, Grandad'

 

[robert waddell]

not so much rosemary it is Dan that has a leaning towards the proper use of the English language in its written form     funny how it is only in its written form and not the spoken form  but then i suppose grandad would know when you all knifes and forks and he did not especially when lying on the table

[Fleecewife]

My OH is a bit obsessive about them so perhaps that's why I would prefer just not to use them (except to save granddad of course  ) 
 
There is the greengrocers apostrophe - carrot's, lettuce's, grape's - used to show a plural, but that is completely wrong.  I think the possessive 's comes from John his house, shortened to John's house, so if the lettuce, carrot or grape doesn't possess something, but is just more than one, then you don't need an apostrophe before the s, or we are looking for the carrot's something. 
 
Then there is the apostrophe used to replace a missed out letter, for example in it is, shortened to it's.  That's fine - I can do that one.  But what about the dog scratched its leg where I think an apostrophe is wrong - but it could be me whose wrong there, or is it who's wrong 
 
Too much to think about, life's too short, so if I'm not sure I just don't write them.
 
Plums - spelling mistakes are fine     Spelling changes over time, it's just a fashion and using a keyboard makes most of us make plenty of mistakes anyway.
It's the same with commas - old texts use far more than we do.  But I do like to see a fair quota of full stops before my brain runs out of my ears 

[suziequeue]

I too have an apostrophe thing and can spot them (or lack thereof) at a hundred paces.


It really annoys people 

[jaykay]

But what about the dog scratched its leg where I think an apostrophe is wrong - but it could be me whose wrong there, or is it who's wrong

OK, I had to keep trying to learn this one -  think I've got it now (the regular shaming at senior team meetings helped cement it  )

An apostrophe to show missing out a letter, ie it is = it's. But if its means 'belongs to' ie its leg, then no apostrophe. See, you did know!

There are plenty more important things, true enough.

[Dan]

A ban on apostrophes is never going to happen on here! Although we would never pull anyone up on it in public (as long as you can make your point understood, the odd grammatical error doesn't matter a jot) Rosemary and I are both a little pedantic when it comes to punctuation. 

Good punctuation is the difference between helping your uncle Jack, off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse. 

[Small Farmer]

I thought I was pedantic until my children started pulling me up for lapses.  But the rules of grammar allow some flexibility to avoid the correct use of English being ugly. 


Worse than incorrect grammar though is where someone cannot explain clearly what they mean.  I'd far rather it was wrong but clear.

[RUSTYME]

Guilty as charged m'lud . I stick'em everywhere , but they are free ! Please don't stop my fun !
Terrible memory due to smash , it wiped out most of the basics and short term memory problems prevent me re learning.
I also struggle explaining myself at times , so i swear instead !

[in the hills]

FW - You have helped me to slow down and focus  . I have found it!
 
can't  I've  ..... ''''''
 
Now ..... do I please Dan and make sure I use them or just carry on typing as fast as I can?