Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Apostrophe

I need a grammar lesson from all you smarty pants out there.

In my last post I wrote: " I bought some jeans and shirt from the mens department "

Should "mens" have an apostrophe?

I don't think so, but then I did the spell check thing and it kept suggesting it.

I always get that rule mixed up.

Any English majors out there?

Presby?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2007/07/mens-or-mens.html

Men's is correct.

Shazza said...

Thanks Anon - I needed that!

neetzy said...

I get confused the most with It's and its.

Scout said...

Yeah, I think it does need the apostrophe. Signs are always wrong, though.

Kari Hultman said...

Men's is correct. Just like Children's and Women's.

Presbyfruit's History Bits said...

I'm late to the conversation, but ditto to everyone else. Men's.

Kat Mortensen said...

When I stop and think about it's and its, Neetzy, I remind myself that it's is really "it is" and its means belonging to...

Kat (I was an English major, but my punctuation bites!)

Maria said...

Men's. The way to remember how to use the apostrophe correctly is to think of it as representing a possession of something.

Worked for me.

neetzy said...

Poetikat,

I swear I will never get that one. I tend to avoid "it" altogether!

dive said...

Never trust a spellchecker, Shazza.

And Robyn's right: signs are always wrong.
Especially the one in my local John Lewis just outside the restaurant.
It reads:
"Toilets
The Place To Eat."

Shazza said...

Thank you all - I knew I would get the correct answer.

I'm hiring all of you as my editors or is that editor's?

Would that mean I will possess you?

:::insert evil laugh here:::

Ahhhh - fagetaboutit, I'm hopless.

Kat Mortensen said...

But we love you just the same, Shazza!

Kat