King's Cross or Kings Cross?

[Mat17]

When I was teaching in primary schools, some children put apostrophes everywhere...

We went to the shop's and got lots of sweet's.

Or as I used to get...

"Theres lot's of shop's selling lot's of sweet's, its amazing how many type's of sweet's theyre are."

Apostrophes everywhere but where they ought to be.

 

[InOban]

I've never seen Queensferry (Forth Bridge ) ever spelled with an apostrophe.

The really tricky one is its. Only has an apostrophe when it's short for it is. So the train 's door was open but its door was open.

 

[Jimini]

Does anyone need any work doing on their car?

 

[swt_passenger]

When I was teaching in primary schools, some children put apostrophes everywhere...

We went to the shop's and got lots of sweet's.

I think it’s possible a majority in these forums add apostrophes wrongly when e.g. writing about rolling stock classes, there are far more posts use HST’s than HSTs.

But we‘ll probably never get it right while so many can’t choose correctly between “have” and “of“… ggrrr

 

[a_c_skinner]

In Eats, Shoots and Leaves written by Lynne Truss we are told for proper nouns the choice is down to the people who run or own the place and apostrophe or not is acceptable.

 

[najaB]

I think it’s possible a majority in these forums add apostrophes wrongly when e.g. writing about rolling stock classes, there are far more posts use HST’s than HSTs.

That's a funny one - some style guides used to suggest an apostrophe in this scenario. Similarly with "80's music" vs "80s music".

 

[py_megapixel]

That's a funny one - some style guides used to suggest an apostrophe in this scenario. Similarly with "80's music" vs "80s music".

I'd say '80s music is more correct there, with the apostrophe standing for the missing "19"

Or as I used to get...
"Theres lot's of shop's selling lot's of sweet's, its amazing how many type's of sweet's theyre are."
Apostrophes everywhere but where they ought to be.

And a sneaky little comma-splice in there as well!

 

[geoffk]

Another one is Exeter St Davids or David’s (or even Davids’). There doesn’t seem to be a problem with Exeter St Thomas.

and just up the line, St. James Park, St. James' Park or St. James's Park!

 

[Western Sunset]

Or as I used to get...

"Theres lot's of shop's selling lot's of sweet's, its amazing how many type's of sweet's theyre are."

Apostrophes everywhere but where they ought to be.

At least they used the correct "there", rather than "their".

 

[Struner]

Someone was pushing his collection of essay’s the other day. Mind you, this was on twitter. You don’t want to know about the mud slung at me when I made a remark about it.

 

[InOban]

I'd say '80s music is more correct there, with the apostrophe standing for the missing "19"


And a sneaky little comma-splice in there as well!

Surely it could be legitimately be '80's music, the first being for the missing 19 and the second because it's the music of the 1980s!

 

[Railsigns]

Surely it could be legitimately be '80's music, the first being for the missing 19 and the second because it's the music of the 1980s!

'80's music is music from the year 1980, not the whole decade.

 

[DelW]

I think it’s possible a majority in these forums add apostrophes wrongly when e.g. writing about rolling stock classes, there are far more posts use HST’s than HSTs.

That's a funny one - some style guides used to suggest an apostrophe in this scenario.

I think a possible justification there is that since the "s" is part of the word "Trains", the apostrophe is marking the omission of the letters "_rain_" from it, rather than indicating the possessive.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think a possible justification there is that since the "s" is part of the word "Trains", the apostrophe is marking the omission of the letters "_rain_" from it, rather than indicating the possessive.

Hm… good try, but that doesn’t explain the typical use with all the numerical classes, whether locos or units.

 

[Railsigns]

I think a possible justification there is that since the "s" is part of the word "Trains", the apostrophe is marking the omission of the letters "_rain_" from it, rather than indicating the possessive.

Anyone who uses that as justification for writing HST's may have a hard time explaining why they didn't write H'S'T's.