To Apostrophe Or Not To Apostrophe

Continuing on with a previous post concerning the daunting apostrophe, click here for another site that might be helpful in deciphering the English code!

Note that the apostrophe has not always been in the English language. Actually, it did not show itself until the 16th century; it came to us through the Latin and Greek and was used for the marking of lost letters. But it wasn't until the 19th century that the apostrophe was used to show possession. Source

So don't be discouraged if you struggle at times trying to diagnose your plural and possessive problems, with the English language/punctuation, of course.

Continue to practice and become more familiar with what is proper and what is not.

Too, remember that even the creme de le creme of English professors disagree. Factor that in with the changing of times and what has become acceptable and you will have great diversity on what is proper and what is acceptable. The 21st century gives much license to writing as you please. For some, that is what is called slaughtering the King's English.

It is this very thing that grabs people by the jugular, killing their incentive to write.

In my workshop, one of the first things I stress is that while I believe grammar is important, the correct use of it should never stop you from sharing your thoughts on paper. My goal is to provide a safe place for people to enter into the world of writing, and not so much the absolutes of grammar. The first step is to begin. Then concern yourself about editing.

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