That’s it! I’ve had it with you people! The headline “Of tattoo’s and Motorcycle gangs in Canberra†[sic] is the last freaking straw.
It’s time you clowns learnt how to use an apostrophe.
Rule 1 – plurals do not need an apostrophe. Thus “tattoo’s†should be “tattoosâ€. This applies across the board, even if you are using acronyms – eg: “MPs†not “MP’sâ€. Plurals that need to indicate possession will be dealt with later.
Rule 2 – “It’s†with an apostrophe is a contraction of “it is†– in this instance the apostrophe does not indicate possession, eg: “it’s raining today”. If you want to indicate possession then use “its†without an apostrophe, eg: “the Government has lost its head on IR reforms.”
Rule 3 – singular possession is indicated by an apostrophe before an s. Eg: Johnboy’s Blog, Canberra’s heart, Stanhope’s sense of humour etc. If the owner ends in an “s†then you have a choice:
a) you can just put an apostrophe after the s, eg: “Dean Jones’ bat”; or
b) you can put an apostrophe and an s, eg: “Dean Jones’s bat”.
There is debate as to which is correct – I was brought up with option a)
Rule 4 – if the owner has a double s, then you add an apostrophe and an s, eg: “Ross’s Relics in Yass is full of over-priced crap”.
Rule 5 – plural possession is indicated by an apostrophe after the s, eg: “the Raiders’ unconvincing win over Penrith”.
It’s really very simple and far from being pedantry incorrect apostrophe use can significantly change the meaning of whatever it is that is being expressed.
Please feel free to flame me at your leisure – it will only serve to reinforce my smugness at understanding the basics of grammar.
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