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Issue 7
February 2008
Gross Apostrophes
Doctors are known for poor handwriting and lawyers for their indecipherable legalese, but those who run grocery stores are in the only profession with a grammatical error named in their honor (or dishonor). The so-called "grocer's apostrophe" is where an apostrophe sneaks in before an s, and this apostrophe simply has no reason to be there.
Shoppers frequently see signs throughout a grocery store that say, for example, "Banana's – 3 for $1" or "Flower's – $5 a bunch." Writers of signs like these are confusing the plural and possessive forms of nouns.
It's not really fair to single out grocers, however, as this mistake is one of the most commonly found on English signage. As the following examples show, restaurateurs, retailers, and people in many other jobs (even those who engrave signs full time) have a habit of sticking in apostrophes where they shouldn't be.
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About this E-mail
The Awkward Adverb, an e-mail newsletter sent out once a month, highlights English-language flaws that have appeared on a sign, in print, on the Web, or anywhere in the public sphere. It may address grammatical errors, careless usage, bothersome buzzwords, punctuation problems, misspellings, or confusing writing in general.
Subscribers are encouraged to submit their findings for future editions of The Awkward Adverb by responding to this e-mail. Archived past issues of the newsletter are located here.
Henry Alpert, editor of The Awkward Adverb, is a New Orleans-based copywriter and business writer who works with businesses, ad agencies, and graphic design firms on a wide array of writing projects. For more information about his services, visit action-copy.com.
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