Editing Apostrophe (section)

===={{anchor|Greengrocers' apostrophe}}{{anchor|Greengrocers' apostrophes}} Superfluous apostrophes ("greengrocers' apostrophes")====

Apostrophes used in a non-standard manner to form [[noun]] [[plural]]s are known as ''greengrocers' apostrophes'' or ''grocers' apostrophes'', often written as ''greengrocer's apostrophes''<ref>[http://www.wordspy.com/words/greengrocersapostrophe.asp greengrocers' apostrophe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118014330/http://www.wordspy.com/words/greengrocersapostrophe.asp |date=18 November 2011}}. Word Spy. Retrieved on 7 April 2013.</ref> or ''grocer's apostrophes''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/a#id-3016449 |location=London |work=The Guardian |title=Style guide |date=16 December 2008 |access-date=11 December 2016 |archive-date=21 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121123743/http://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/a#id-3016449 |url-status=live}}</ref> They are sometimes humorously called ''greengrocers apostrophe's'', ''rogue apostrophes'', or ''idiot's apostrophes'' (a literal translation of the [[German grammar#Plurals|German]] word ''Deppenapostroph'', which criticises the misapplication of apostrophes in [[Denglisch]]). The practice, once common and acceptable (see [[#Historical development|Historical development]]), comes from the identical sound of the [[plural]] and [[possessive case|possessive]] forms of most English [[noun]]s. It is often criticised as a form of [[hypercorrection]] coming from a widespread ignorance of the proper use of the apostrophe or of punctuation in general. [[Lynne Truss]], author of ''[[Eats, Shoots & Leaves]]'', points out that before the 19th century it was standard orthography to use the apostrophe to form a plural of a foreign-sounding word that ended in a vowel (e.g., {{Not a typo|banana's}}, {{Not a typo|folio's}}, {{Not a typo|logo's}}, {{Not a typo|quarto's}}, {{Not a typo|pasta's}}, {{Not a typo|ouzo's}}) to clarify pronunciation. Truss says this usage is no longer considered proper in formal writing.<ref>Truss, pp.&nbsp;63–65.</ref>

The term is believed to have been coined in the middle of the 20th century by a teacher of languages working in [[Liverpool]], at a time when such mistakes were common in the handwritten signs and advertisements of [[greengrocer]]s (e.g., ''{{typo|Apple's}} [[shilling|1/-]] a pound, {{typo|Orange's}} 1/6[[penny|d]] a pound''). Some have argued that its use in mass communication by employees of well-known companies has led to the less literate assuming it to be standard and adopting the habit themselves.<ref>
{{cite web |first1=Christina |last1=Cavella |first2=Robin A. |last2=Kernodle |title= How the Past Affects the Future: The Story of the Apostrophe |work=TESL 503: The Structure of English |date=Spring 2003 |publisher=American University |url= http://www.american.edu/tesol/wpkernodlecavella.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090326014513/http://www.american.edu/tesol/wpkernodlecavella.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=26 October 2006}}</ref>

The same use of apostrophe before [[noun]] [[plural]] -s forms is sometimes made by non-native speakers of English. For example, in [[Dutch grammar#Plural|Dutch]], the apostrophe is inserted before the ''s'' when pluralising most words ending in a vowel or ''y'' for example, {{lang|nl|baby's}} (English ''babies'') and {{lang|nl|radio's}} (English ''radios''). This often produces so-called "[[Dunglish]]" errors when carried over into English.<ref>{{cite book |title=Righting English That's Gone Dutch |chapter=Dutch Greengrocers |pages=39–40 |first=Joy |last=Burrough-Boenisch |edition=2nd |publisher=Kemper Conseil Publishing |date=2004 |isbn=9789076542089}}</ref> [[Hyperforeignism]] has been formalised in some pseudo-[[anglicism]]s. For example, the French word {{lang|fr|[[:fr:pin's|pin's]]}} (from English ''pin'') is used (with the apostrophe in both singular and plural) for [[collectible]] [[lapel pin]]s. Similarly, there is an [[Andorra]]n football club called {{lang|ca|italic=no|[[FC Rànger's]]}} (after such British clubs as [[Rangers F.C.]]) and a Japanese dance group called [[Super Monkey's]].