Confused by Apostrophes?

John - You're welcome, and thanks for the compliment. 

Nina - Perhaps it depends upon the quality of the school. Some teachers think punctuation is important, and some don't. 

Jane - Isn't that sad? Content does matter - but if it's written so no one knows what it means, what's the point? I've seen this too - many years ago I was helping with a 4-H group, checking workbooks before fair time. One girl in particular stood out because she was an honors student and her workbook was filled with spelling and grammar errors.

I think it isn't fair to the kids to tell them they're doing well when they haven't learned the basics. 

Fernando - Thank you for reading.

Brian - Oh, today! That's awful - it's still summertime. Remember when school started the day after Labor Day, and we were freed on Memorial Day? 

Shirley - Yes, in many cases it has - at least with people who aren't intent on communicating well.

Phil - The first step toward getting it right is knowing what you aren't sure of - so you can check your own work. 

Roger - I'm really not an expert and probably would NOT have used the apostrophe in that case - but I deferred to a real expert: The Grammar Girl. 

Improper use of me and I grates on my nerves too. I have a neighbor who used to say he had to get home to "Cook dinner for Hazel and I." The funny (?) part is that he's a retired teacher. He loves words and loves to show off by using words he thinks other people don't know. 

Christine - I make all sorts of wierd errors, too - and my typing is getting worse, especially when the cat decides to sit on my lap. 

I agree about sloppy speech habits translating to sloppy writing. Our local news editor always writes "should of" instead of "should have." It bugged me so much that I wrote and told her it was an error - but she continues to write it. 

Greg - I see advise for advice on AR all the time. I think irregardless is a misguided attempt to be more correct. Kind of like using myself and whom in the wrong places.

Kelly - Yes, those I have to stop and think about. 

Bryan - When I can, I try to find mind tricks to help those who are uncertain remember which words to use. For instance, we hear with an ear, and here and there are both places. 

I really feel for those who are trying to learn English as a second language. It has to be torture. 

Rosie - Ouch! That's a bad one. I too have seen misspellings and typos in published books - proving that even a professional proofreader can miss something once in a while. 

Paul - That's true... "despite our best efforts." 

I'm a whole lot more forgiving when I know English is the person's 2nd or 3rd language, because I think English would be VERY difficult to learn. 

Mary - That would be nice, but I have a feeling most of the people who read posts about grammar already know how to use it well. 

David - I agree that you have many things to be concerned with, but can't agree that punctuation isn't something that should top the list.

The only reason for punctuation is clarity of communication. 

There's enough confusion in the world - we shouldn't add to it with fuzzy communication.