What's the worst case of an errant apostrophe you've seen?

[mariner2]

I've just found one in the otherwise splendid book "The Island" by Victoria Hislop, towards the end there's a sentence that goes "the term's of Anna's agreement"
It seems there's a creeping cancer slowly taking over the country when 20 years ago this was quite rare.
My personal favourites are when a business takes the trouble to employ the services of a "professional" sign writer and he painstakingly inscribes something like "Curry Night's" (restaurant in Maldon) or "Joe's taxi's"
There's also a van that drives around the same area advertising signwriting for "yacht's and boat's"
Suprisingly, I've yet to find one in one of our semi-literate tabloid newspaers - just a matter of time I fear.

[SeaJayPea]

This may be an urban myth, but about twenty years ago on the PM programme on Radio 4, they did a piece on this very subject and cited Merry Xma's on a greengrocer's window in Glasgow.

[delboy3]

You don't have to look far for another painful example, right here on Answerbank - look at the name of one of the subsections under 'Music'... Sheesh!

[mariner2]

I remember another one from ages ago - "Jason Donovan - the video's"
How many people does that have to get past?
How about the name of that dozy manufactured band "Hear'say"
Brilliant - that probably convinced a whole generaration of already thick teenagers that if they are in any doubt, stick an apostrophe in just to make sure.
Actually, just the opposite is true, for some reason if you miss one out where there should be one it doesn't quite have the effect of making you look like a thick illiterate knuckle-dragging moron with an IQ in single figures

[stewey]

I once knew a guy who was really mentally slow. He always said that his last name was Bates. His last name was actually Bate, but his parents owned a general store in town and it was called "Bate's Convenience" He got Bates from the posessive Bate's.

[fairkatrina]

Yes tonyted, it did, but there is no need for the apostrophe.

My personal favourite hate is a company in the opposite building to where I work who I won't name here but their motto is "The U.K.'s leading gasket supplier" although they spell it "The U.K.,s leading gasket supplier". This is on all their vans, on several signs on their workplace, and even the company stationary (I checked!) You'd think someone would have noticed, but instead I have to stare at it all day long!!!!!

It's really frustrating, especially as I'm the sort of person who takes chalk with me to the pub to correct the signs about quizzes on Tuesday's / Special's boards etc.

[Quizmonkey]

...but spelling clearly doesn't bother you, Katrina. Stationary? :)

[fairkatrina]

It was late!

[Marijn]

My surname ends with an s. I was spelling it to the hairdresser as she was writing it down and she put an apostrophe before the s. I thought that was was SO silly, that it was funny!

[thorfinn]

Simple rule - plurals never have an apostrophe. So one 'do', two 'dos';one 'don't',' two 'don'ts'. By the way I was in Tesco's the other day, and saw an enormous aisle indicator saying 'DVD's'. How many people did that get past, I wonder. And how many Tesco stores are there in the country?

[Quizmonkey]

and I wonder if Tesco is one of the chains that has abandoned apostrophes in its clothing departments (mens, childrens etc)

[SJmacleod]

Just go to your local market and look at the greengrocers' stalls!

[glenis]

my favourite one was a birthday card in the market that said " For you're birthday " i thought it was so funny i had to buy a couple

[mariner2]

Just found one on Facebook - someone called Angelina Daniel's apparently.