It's My Apostrophe, and I'll Rant if I Want To
Soon it will be that two-month holiday known as Christmas Day. It's that time of year when people say, "I want everything to be perfect," more often than they say it about their weddings.
I, however, call this time of year "Apostrophe Season." Why? Because I receive holiday cards from people whose return address labels identify them as "The Miller's."
I can't help it. Because of that misused apostrophe, I look at every envelope and wonder, "The Miller's what? And to which member of the Miller family are they referring?"
"Miller's" means that one person named Miller possesses something. Miller's haircut. Miller's shoe size. It refers to one Miller who owns something. The apostrophe before the "s" makes the word a possessive.
On the other hand, "Millers," without an apostrophe, refers to more than one Miller. Just like tomatoes or candles or televisions. Millers. The Millers. A whole family of Millers. Hey, look! It's the Millers!
Some people take it to the extreme, and put "The Miller's" on their welcome mats. I've even seen such things on brass signs attached to the outside of homes.
Oh, dear. I think I'm getting a migraine. I get them frequently during Apostrophe Season. Sometimes they're triggered by the double whammy of opening a card and seeing that it has been signed by "The Miller's," too. Oy, my head.
Well, this little post had nothing to do with spirtual development, but it's my blog, and I just had to get that apostrophe off my chest.