The apostrophe has two uses: To show possession and to indicate the omission of letters or numerals. So, what letters or numbers did the Yahoo! News editor omit in this headline?
Actually, the editor added a letter: T. The common contraction of additional is add’l.
If you’re trying to make a list of investment on Yahoo! Finance, you might reconsider using that site after encountering this message:
To Yahoo! Finance staff: You don’t have any editors do you?
Let’s pretend that the Yahoo! Style writer knows what a contraction is and knows that it requires an apostrophe:
Seriously, ya’ll love this from Yahoo! Style:
I can only assume the writer was trying for y’all, but slipped the apostrophe in the wrong place.
Why are apostrophes so difficult for some people? I don’t get it, ’cause I think they’re pretty simple to use. You know that an apostrophe can be used in contractions to signal the omission of a letter, such as isn’t (for is not) and don’t (for do not). They’re sometimes used at the beginning or end of a word to indicate a letter that’s been dropped off, if you’re followin’ me. So what letter did the writer for Yahoo! News think was omitted from tis’?
‘Tis clear to me that the writer doesn’t know that ’tis is a contraction of it is and that tis’ makes no sense.
Let’s be honest: This Yahoo! Style writer has no idea that let’s is a contraction of let us and requires an apostrophe:
She also doesn’t realize that eleven years is not a wait, but a length of time, which might be a long time to wait for something. Maybe she thought eleven years is a long time to wait for an education, and dropped out of high school. Maybe if she had stayed in school she would have learned a little grammar, like matching a pronoun with its antecedent.
Now that school’s out, I think the Yahoo! Celebrity editors should hit the grammar books and learn a little something about the use of an apostrophe in a contraction:
It’s a missing apostrophe on the yahoo.com in what should be a contraction of it is:
I’m really curious about the writers at Yahoo! Style. How did they get they job writing for a site that’s viewed by millions of people, and yet know so little about English? I’ve been wondering that for as long as I can remember. It piques my interest. You might even say my interest peaked after reading this:
We all know that an apostrophe is used to create a possessive or a contraction. So, what how is this apostrophe used on Yahoo! Makers?
It’s not likely that it’s used to form the possessive of tis, is it? So it’s creating a contraction. But a contraction of what? It’s actually a contraction of it is. The first I is omitted and the correct contraction is ’tis.
‘Tis time to consider the writer’s use of the word mom. She should have made that Mom. Here’s a free, no-cost, gratis tip for the writer:
If you’re unsure if you should capitalize a term for a relative, try substituting the person’s name. If it makes a grammatically correct sentence, then capitalize the term. Try it: My mother is the best. (See? No capital M in mother.) But: It’s time to thank Mom.
If that doesn’t work for you, try this other hint: If the noun (mother, father, etc.) is preceded by a possessive pronoun (like my or his), don’t capitalize it. Like this: He thought his mother was the best. It’s time to thank your mom.
So, when the writer isn’t butchering the language, she’s butchering Sarah Michelle Gellar’s name. And to show that she really, really knows nothing of pop culture, she implies that Beyoncé and Solange’ mom has other daughters. Maybe they’re hidden in the walk-in closet, because the rest of the world knows of only those two.
Terribly Write 