Why do people have problems with the apostrophe?

Question

It's simple!

nouns = no apostrophe (tables, videos etc.)
singular possesives = apostrophe before s (the man's trousers)
plural possesives = apostrophe after s (the four cats' beds)
collective possesives = apostrophe before s (the children's toys, the men's trousers)

I see abuse everywhere eg. carrot's 30p, childrens' section. Grrr!

CompWiz - not peoples', it's people's. A collective plural turns into a singular.

Answer 1

It bugs me too
Here are the basic rules

Basic principles: possessive apostrophe
An apostrophe is used to indicate possession.
For most singular nouns, the ending ’s is added, e.g. the cat’s whiskers.
If the word is plural and already ends in an s, then instead only an apostrophe is added, for example my nieces’ weddings. (This does not apply to plurals that do not end in an s, for example the children’s toys.)
If the word ends in an s but is singular, practice varies as to whether to add ’s or only an apostrophe. (For discussion on this and the following points, see below.)
In general, a good practice is to follow whichever spoken form is judged best: Boss’s shoes, Mrs. Jones’ hat (or Mrs. Jones’s hat, if that spoken form is preferred). In many cases, both spoken and written forms will differ between people.
Some people like to reflect standard spoken practice in special cases like these: for convenience’ sake, for goodness’ sake, for appearance’ sake, etc. Others prefer to add ’s in the standard way: for convenience’s sake. Still others prefer to omit the apostrophe when there is an s sound before sake: for morality’s sake, but for convenience sake. Authorities can be found to support each of these solutions. The best policy is at least to be consistent in one’s usage (here, and with use of punctuation in general).
Compound nouns have their singular possessives formed with an apostrophe and an s at their end, in accordance with the rules given above: the Attorney-General’s husband; the Minister for Justice’s religion; her father-in-law’s new wife. In the examples just given, the plurals are formed with an s that does not occur at the end: Attorneys-General, etc. An interesting problem therefore arises with the possessive plurals of these compounds. Sources that rule on the matter appear to favour the following forms, in which there is both an s added to form the plural, and a separate s added for the possessive: the Attorneys-General’s husbands; the Ministers for Justice’s religions; their fathers-in-law’s new wives.[2][3]
No apostrophe is used in the following possessive pronouns and adjectives: yours, his, hers, ours, its, theirs, and whose. (Very many people wrongly use it’s for the possessive of it; but authorities are unanimous that it’s can only properly be a contraction of it is or it has.) All other possessive pronouns ending in s do take an apostrophe: one’s; everyone’s; somebody’s, nobody else’s, etc. With plural forms, the apostrophe follows the s, as with nouns: the others’ husbands (but compare They all looked at each other’s husbands, in which both each and other are singular).
To illustrate that possessive apostrophes matter, and that their usage affects the meaning of written English, consider these four phrases (listed in Steven Pinker’s The Language Instinct), each of which has a meaning distinct from the others:
my sister’s friend’s investments
my sisters’ friends’ investments
my sisters’ friend’s investments
my sister’s friends’ investments
Kingsley Amis, on being challenged to produce a sentence whose meaning depended on a possessive apostrophe, came up with:
“Those things over there are my husbands.”

Answer 2

It is difficult to answer since only the person making the mistake should be able to say why, however, it is quite possible that they simply do not understand grammar, syntax, or anything involving forming thoughts logically. They might be dyslexic or have some other condition of which we are quite ignorant.

For instance, I knew a highly qualified teacher who did everyting extremely well, yet could never remember her own car number. She actually tried entering a stanger's car because it was parked near to hers and was just like hers.

Now, I found that rather odd but that is the truth. She could not tell. It was only because the key did not fit that she decided to try the other car (which was hers).

I don't believe we all rationalize the same nor hear the same, hence the reason a story could get so torn apart and be retold in many different ways by as many different people.

It bugs me too, but I am sure I do things that bug others just the same.

Answer 3

I have to admit I do get mixed up identifying collectives - e.g. when it comes to the three forests' floors I have to guess, having said that - I still wonder why people put an apostrophe in a plural.

Answer 4

Adam Smith referred to Britain as a "nation of shopkeepers". Perhaps he didn't get it quite right and should really have said: "Britain is a nation of greengrocers."

Seriously, though, there are two reasons:
1. The fact that, for example, boys, boy's and boys' are all pronounced exactly the same (which is also why people confuse there, their and they're);
2. The attitude of British teachers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, who relegated correct spelling to such a low level that, in many schools, it was regarded as irrelevant.

Answer 5

Nothing is worse than apostrophe abuse, but you see it all the time. The most common way apostrophes are misused is in the creation of plurals. An apostrophe creates a contraction or a possessive, not a plural. For example, if you want to say that you have more than one worm, you would say, “I have worms,” not “I have worm’s.” An apostrophe followed by an “s” indicates a possessive (ownership), such as “The girl’s buck teeth are sexy.” There is no need for the apostrophe to indicate a plural.

I think our spelling of items are more lethal, don't you?

Answer 6

Maybe they just want to type it or write it down fast. You know people these days, rush here and they rush everywhere. Though, you cannot blame them it's not like they're taking an English test. But practising good habits have nothing to lose.

Answer 7

I know this,you know this... but I bet you by tomorrow we will still be seeing the horrendous " potatoe's and tomato's for sale." Some people will never learn.

Answer 8

The same reason some people have problems with spelling "possessives".

Answer 9

I'm starting to think people aren't listening to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again people are f**kwits

Answer 10

Ye's, ye's I quite agree. Peoples' mi'sus'e of apostrophe's drive's me doolally!

PS,
I even saw this once, in a letter:

Dear Sir,

My name is Mr Jone's and I am writing......(AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!)