While I’m being grumpy (see yesterday’s post), I may as well agree with JadedLotus about the annoying misuse of apostrophes.
Why do people not understand about apostrophes?
Monkeys love banana’s.
How can anyone make that mistake? You know that two monkeys don’t need an apostrophe, so how is that different for bananas?
One monkey one banana.
Two monkeys two bananas.
Three million four hundred and eighty-seven bananas.
Capiche?
Yes, indeed.
And while we’re on the subject of irksome writing, there’s also a particular company representative (who shall remain nameless) whose emails to me read like this:
I attach the quote u requested. I hope this helps u make ur decision about subscribing to our database. I’m sure u will find the price very competitive. It was good to catch up with u and ur colleagues! Looking forward to hearing from u about ur decision soon.
I wouldn’t mind if this was an SMS, but in a business email it just grates. I suppose I should be thankful she doesn’t mistake your for you’re.
(I’m sure I’m just being irritable. Having a day off tomorrow – for celebrations of Opa’s 80th – may help.)
6 Comments
sum plp just arnt so good at written english. Of course u’v left ur self open to lots more comments written like this 🙂
I know, I know… (I did say I was feeling grumpy, didn’t I? 🙂 )
Of course, I also know people who would never dream of using smilies in their emails (or comments). And who would think my overuse of the … improper.
SMS lingo in a non-mobile text messaging scenario annoys me, too. Have some respect for English, i say. And for those who say it doesn’t really matter how they say it as long as they are understood, i say “You’re just being lazy.” (Am also feeling grumpy… but i think i’ve been feeling that way for about three weeks now.)
Then there is the misuse of loose and lose.
Now that really, really annoys me.
I recommend Bob the Angry Flower
http://www.angryflower.com/aposter3.jpg
for all your apostrophe need’s
jl, I suppose this is how language changes and evolves. People start by making up new words for new situations, by being lazy, and then over time the new words become part of the language and no one remembers that they were once frowned upon…
Penny, to and too for me!
Howdy adhd! Thanks for that (see, others get annoyed by apostrophe misuse, too). Enjoyed your posts on NLS. Wish I’d gone, now.