QI and apostrophes

[rabbitearbandicoot]

did anyone watch the QI episode where they discussed Apostrophes and their use??

I missed it but a friend tells me I have been using apostrophes wrongly.

as in "Bill's Car" - the car that belongs to Bill should be "Bills' car".

[katydidthat]

Bill's car is correct.

The apostrophe is used for two reasons: belonging and to replace a missing letter.

So, with belonging, it is Jane's toy, or Fred's shoe.

With missing letters, it is becomes it's, they are becomes they're, you are becomes you're.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

thanks katy, that's what I have thought since school but evidently, Steven Fry on QI says that's wrong. I watch the show usually and he seems to know all the answers, but in this case I think he's wrong - ie Steven's answer is wrong.

But he (Steven) insists that, although everyone thinks it is correct, spell checkers etc - they are all wrong.

unless, of course, the friend I spoke with (with whom I spoke) this morning has misinterpreted Steven's answer.

[j*oono]

I'm sure it is Bill's car.

It would be different if the car belonged to your parents.  If it belonged to one parent it would be your parent's car, but if it belonged to both parents it would be your parents' car.

[bright.ton42]

I think the apostrophe should be deleted from the English grammar, it's so unnecessary.   If I'd written

"its so unnecessary" we would still know the meaning. 

[the_great_she_elephant]

If the ownership refers to more than one person then the apostrophe goes after the plural s.  e.g' The Browns' house, the musicians' instruments. I fit refers to a single person and  the s is added simply to denote ownership then the apostrophe goes between the word and the added s e.g. Mr Brown's house, the musician's instruments.

If the name of the person (or object) involved ends in an s we sometimes cheat a bit  and stick the apostrophe after the s, e.g. James' book - but strictly speaking it should still be James's book

it's a throwback to Old English where the genetive case (denoting belonging) was formed by adding an es ending (inflection) to a noun, e.g. þæs cyninges scip (the king's ship) - cyning = king. In modern English we have dropped the e - hence the apostrophe.

[harley_babes_hoard]

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

[imastawka]

Joono is right. 

Stephen is never wrong when it comes the English language.

I think your friend has misinterpreted. It is Bill's car.  It belongs to Bill.

[j*oono]

She_el, thanks for that because I often wonder about the apostrophe when the persons name ends with an s.  I think I will stick to James' book because James's book looks dumb.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Thanks, Stawka - that explains it far more entertainingly than I did.