Why do so many people use apostrophies when they are not necessary?

Question

For example, SUVs is correct. Not SUV's. Also, "it's" means "it is." The possessive form is "its."

Answer 1

I agree with you 100%. But dollhaus is correct about SUV's - I remember learning it that way in the 1980s. Also for numbers - 80's and 90's, as well as 80s and 90s, have both been considered correct at one time or another. But what really irritates me the most are the apostrophe's used for plural's. That just looks incredibly ignorant! It gets confusing, too, when people use them for their plurals but not their possessives. The boy's played with the dogs toy's today. This book is hers'. I knew someone who did this a lot. I just hate reading things like that, because I usually end up having to read it a couple of times to make sure I understood it correctly.

I had a manager one time who completely understood - he compared it to someone who was musically inclined hearing a note that was out of tune. A grammatical error stands out to some people the way a sour note stands out to others. I am definitely one of the former. Not to say that I don't make errors myself, but I try to correct them as I go. A lot of people just don't care to make the effort.

Another thing that really irritated me - on one of my son's computer games, it uses it's instead of its. These games are supposed to be designed to teach children, not promote ignorance!

Answer 2

It is sad. That plus things such as the PC castration of the language ("Every child took their book") is making it harder and harder to understand written English. You see the apostrophe and start looking for who owns what only to find it was meant to be a simple plural. I have even seen its' in print. I'm waiting for the ultimate: it's'

One comment related to your question and to an earlier answer, based on my being a lot older than most reading this:

At one time, some style manuals said to use the apostrophe for the plurals of acronyms, so following one of those manuals, "SUV's" would be correct. The language has changed. Modern practice restricts that to only lower case letters - "Mind your p's and q's" is still correct in current manuals. It's just possible that someone using the apostrophe in SUV's is just old-fashioned.

Answer 3

Well, I was an English major at one point, but decided to change because no one cares. I know all about it, that's good enough. If no one else cares, I wasn't going to be able to fix everyone else's brains either way. People are dumb, that's all. We can't change that, unfortunately. Just like the guy who asked you if you were an English major, (just kidding). People shouldn't have to be English majors to know English. I mean, seriously. English is the United States' language right?? Yeah, I think it is.

Answer 4

The apostrophe is just as likely to be missing when it is required.

A post here not long ago opened:
"im at collage" [sic, honestly]

Care and precision seems to be out of fashion, compared to speed and convenience. Unless this is the perpetual cry of the middle-aged, in every generation.

This is the English language evolving or degenerating, depending on your point of view.

Peculiar now rarely means "individual."
The Duke of Wellington did not intend to throw away his army when he described it as "disposable."

Answer 5

Not many people understand the rules of grammar or punctuation and they don't really care to learn more.

Answer 6

Because the art of grammar is dying.

Answer 7

Are you an english major?

Answer 8

not everybody is so smart as u are....i think it's annoying too,but what can we do??

Answer 9

'Cause they're dumb as dirt and getting dumber.

Answer 10

I' k'n'o'w' w'h'a't' y'o'u' m'e'a'n' i'ts a'n'n'o'y'i'n'g'!'