Apostrophes (part 2)!!

Don't add an apostrophe to a word just because the word ends with the letter s. This is a common mistake, and it is a grammatical howler. (In other words, your readers will think you're a bit dim if you keep doing it.) This mistake is most commonly seen when people form the plurals of nouns, but it happens with verbs too; e.g., He eat's pies. Examples:

• I like pig's. Dog's look up to us. Cat's look down on us. Pig's treat us as equal's.(These are all wrong).

• I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. (This is correct).

• A spoken word is not a sparrow. Once it fly's out, you cannot catch it. (This mistake is sometimes made with verbs too. This should be flies).

• Tomato's and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French; garlic makes it good. (This mistake is particularly common when forming the plural of a noun which ends in a vowel (e.g., video's , banana's ). It should be tomatoes in this example).