plural

Apostrophes and Plurals

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Grammar

In a previous article, I ranted about the use of apostrophes for plurals. I hate them!

Someone asked me if it was correct to make acronyms plural with an apostrophe. The answer is simple. No. It doesn’t make any difference. You shouldn’t use an apostrophe to make an acronym plural. For example:

  1. There are four ATMs in the mall.
  2. NGOs must conform to the rules established by their boards.
  3. All the VIPs were given a glass of champagne.
  4. I gave away all my CDs.

If you are talking about possession, though, it’s fine to use an apostrophe. (He scribbled on all over the CD’s label.)

The only exception to this rule, according to The Chicago Manual of Style, is “when an abbreviation contains internal periods or both capital and lowercase letters.”

 

Horrible Apostrophes

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Horrible Plutal

I have to admit it! Some people are fussy about grammar and punctuation, and we sometimes get upset about trivial little linguistic niceties. But there is one thing you should never do. Never use an apostrophe to make a word plural. This is the kind of stuff that will result in your resume going straight into the recycling bin!

When I was looking for a taxi at the airport in Cape Town, I couldn’t possibly give my business to the company responsible for the disgusting sign in this picture.

And if you look at the picture carefully, you will see that they write “taxis” correctly once.  Illegitimate apostrophes are bad enough, but can’t they at least be consistent?

These people lost my business and my respect!

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