Apostrophes in plurals (the grocers' apostrophe)
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Do not be tempted to use an apostrophe just because a word ends in s. |
Don't Add Your Own Apostrophe to a Plural WordIn English, the plural form of a word is most commonly shown by adding an s to the end (e.g., cats, pictures). You must not add your own apostrophe!In other words, do not add 's to the end. Just add s. The plural of words ending in vowels (e.g., video, patio) are extremely prone to this error. This is a very common mistake and is considered a grammatical howler. Examples:
 should be cameras (motorway sign)  should be "Ministers are very... (newspaper article)
 There are 24 applicant's waiting in the coffee room.
[correct the example](do not use an apostrophe just because a word ends in s) When to Use ApostrophesThe rules on using apostrophes can be summarised:
isn't can't The dog's toy The dogs' kennel A day's leave 2 days' notice Mind your p's and q's. Your 5's look like 6's. |
THE GROCERS' APOSTROPHE
In English, the overwhelming majority of words show their plurals by adding s. Do not add your own apostrophe. As fruit and vegetable stalls often display this error, it has come to be known as the grocers' apostrophe.
 signs on market stalls are often littered with apostrophe errors |
)See also:
Using apostophes
Apostrophes in time (temporal) expressions
Apostrophes replace letters
Apostrophes to show the plural of abbreviations
Apostrophes show possession