Got Gold? Need Punctuation Pointers! II.

The Roadshow ad appearing in newspapers this week has apostrophe errors that call for reminders, too. (Click on "apostrophes" in the index at right to see the other blog entries on this subject.)

Jason Delong, who wrote the copy for the Roadshow ad, quoted one expert who works for the Roadshow as follows:

"...I would go through the change in my parents grocery store looking for rare dates and errors...."

Because the grocery store BELONGED to this man's parents, the writer should have used an apostrophe. Because the man had two parents who ran the grocery store (plural), that apostrophe should have come AFTER the "s." The sentence should read as follows:

"...I would go through the change in my parents' grocery store looking for rare dates and errors...."

The other apostrophe error is one of updating an old rule. It is no longer necessary to use an apostrophe when referring to decades or centuries. Delong wrote these two sentences as follows:

"Old tin wind-up toys from the late 1800's through the 1960's are in great demand now."

"Old Buddy L toys from the 1920's to 1960's are in demand."

In the 2010s, it is perfectly acceptable (and preferred) to write decades and centuries without the apostrophe. These sentences can be written as follows:

"Old tin wind-up toys from the late 1800s through the 1960s are in great demand now."

"Old Buddy L toys from the 1920s to 1960s are in demand."

While you are cleaning out the closet and the jewelry box as you look for hidden treasures, why not also clean out your old grammar rules and bring them up to date.

Stay tuned. One more blog on this Roadshow ad will deal with hyphenated words and when NOT to create them.