Please do not use an apostrophe before "s" in a PLURAL word.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: The apostrophe is used to show POSSESSION or CONTRACTION--not plural.

A couple Sundays ago, The Birmingham News printed a short article about using a parasol for skin protection from the sun. The first sentence read as follows:

Sun umbrella's are a, ummm, hot accessory.

While I like the idea of pretty parasols for summer sun protection, I don't like the use of "apostrophe s" to make "umbrella" plural. Who started this bad habit?

The sentence should read correctly as follows:

Sun umbrellas are a, ummm, hot accessory.

Once you get the grammar straight, I hope you will also go out and track down a pretty parasol for yourself or someone you love.

Agreement Again! The "s" cannot go on both the noun AND the verb.

Car Bombings in Iraq Kill at Least 44 People and Wounds Dozens of Others, Police Say - AP

This subject/verb agreement error appeared in one of the headlines on the AT&T online home page on Tuesday, April 15. The subject of this sentence is "car bombings" with the "s" on "bombings" to show that the noun/subject is plural.

The first verb "kill" is correct. No "s" because the verb is plural. To indicate PLURAL, put the "s" on the subject, NOT the verb.

The problem is with the second verb "wounds." You cannot put an "s" on a plural verb. The "s" is already on "car bombings," the plural noun/subject.

The sentence should read correctly as follows:

Car Bombings in Iraq Kill at Least 44 People and Wound Dozens of Others, Police Say.

That said, I hope all of you will keep our American soldiers and the people of Iraq in your thoughts and prayers until this conflict comes to an end.

Entangled Sentence #1

In a recent editorial headlined, "Judge not, unless ye be qualified," The Birmingham News ran a sentence that I just cannot help judging. Although the editorial made a good point (There should be minimum qualifications for judges in Alabama.), I'd like to suggest improvements to the following sentence:

Overwhelming House approval on several bills this session, for example, one that would ban transfers of campaign contributions among political action committees, has not moved the Senate to action.

I read this sentence several times before I could digest its meaning easily. It is correct to set off a phrase like "for example" with commas, but when "for example" is part of a longer phrase that interrupts the main idea and is also set off by commas, things get confusing. There is a definite need for additional punctuation or a change of wording to make the point stand out.

By the time I reached "has not moved...," I'd forgotten what hadn't moved. In case you are wondering, it was the "overwhelming house approval on several bills" way back at the beginning.

I came up with a few suggestions. See which one you prefer and if you agree that it is clearer than the original.

SUGGESTION A: Overwhelming House approval on several bills this session--for example, one that would ban transfers of campaign contributions among political action committees--has not moved the Senate to action.

SUGGESTION B: Overwhelming House approval on several bills this session, including one that would ban transfers of campaign contributions among political action committees, has not moved the Senate to action.

SUGGESTION C: The House has overwhelmingly approved several bills this session, including one that would ban transfers of campaign contributions among political action committees, but so far, the Senate has not moved to act on any of them.

I'd love to hear your e-mail responses on this one. Stay tuned for more entangled sentences and suggested solutions in coming weeks.