One thing that my students often catch me on is my use of apostrophes. If I write things like LET'S GO or DON'T TALK on the white board, there's always at least one kid who asks if there's a space between the apostrophe and the letter that follows. I reply that no, there isn't.
Then the kids say that all their other English teachers have written apostrophed words with a space. Like, DON' T and WHAT' S THAT? and I' M WITH STUPID.
And I'm just like, "Uh, no."
What I want to know is this: WTF? The apostrophe replaces a letter (or letters) or indicates the possessive. There's no space after the apostrophe! Or maybe I'm just nuts, which wouldn't surprise me.
If anyone can provide insight on this issue, I'd appreciate it.
The only insight I can provide is that you are right and they are wrong.
Posted by: Allan | May 13, 2005 at 07:49
Im on your side too.
Posted by: Amber | May 13, 2005 at 07:52
That would be *I'm*..... heeeeeeeeeeee
Posted by: Amber | May 13, 2005 at 07:54
I don't understand, there's no space in French either.
Posted by: la voisine | May 13, 2005 at 08:13
MOST FRENCH ENGLISH TEACHERS, NO ALL FRENCH TEACHERS ARE ASSHOLES.
YOU ARE RIGHT!
THEY ARE ASSHOLES!
Posted by: fatguy | May 13, 2005 at 08:18
hmmm, never heard that one before either. why in the world would there be a space?? how silly. maybe it just looks that way when they write it.
Posted by: barb | May 13, 2005 at 08:29
Maybe your students are just jerking your chain but purposely asking stupid questions!
Posted by: Susan | May 13, 2005 at 08:34
Maybe they're thinking that because the apostrophe (sometimes) replaces a letter that would normally signal the end of a word, and because there would be a space between the end of the first word and the beginning of the second word, that therefore there ought to be a space between the apostrophe and the second word as well. They think the apostrophe represents not only the letter but any spaces that are adjacent to the letter.
For instance, the apostrophe in the word "let's" replaces the letter "u" in "us"; if the two words were written out in full ("let us") then there would be a space included next to the "u"; therefore the apostrophe represents not only the "u" but the space preceding the "u".
Does that make sense?
This doesn't explain why there should be an apostrophe in words like "doesn't' where the apostrophe replaced a letter in the MIDDLE of the word. But in teaching math I have learned that if students get stuck on a "rule" that they think works in one circumstance, they tend to use it everywhere.
Posted by: robert | May 13, 2005 at 09:00
Different perspective from a designer amongst Ali's blog reading masses...
Perhaps they've seen some poor typographic representation of words containing apostrophes? If something isn't typeset properly, it's easy to mistake the gap that is supposed to be taken up by the apostrophe as an extra space.
Okay, so that's far fetched, but it's all I got. :lol:
Posted by: newwavegurly | May 13, 2005 at 09:41
No Spaces...this from Grammar Station.com
"Contractions using the apostrophe should be written without any spaces between.
Contraction for
a. singular possessive:- The boy's not The boy 's
b. plural possessive:- The boys' not The boys '
c. contraction for is/has:- She's not She 's
d. contraction for am:- I'm not I 'm
e. contraction for are:- We're not We 're
f. contraction for have:- They've not They 've
g. contraction for had/would:- I'd not I 'd
h. contraction for will:- We'll not We 'll"
Posted by: jon | May 13, 2005 at 13:05
no clue. they're just not as smart as you are. it's the american in you. :P
Posted by: angel | May 13, 2005 at 13:16
Angel's right. 'Murcuns rule!
;)
Posted by: Allan | May 13, 2005 at 13:23
Yinz guys rawk!
Thanks for all the commentary on the apostrophe...
Robert, your theory on the missing space might hold water. I'll ask my colleagues when I see them next week.
Joseph, your generalization might be true, but I thought your wife was a teacher?
NWG, nice try. :lol:
Now how many of you noticed my use of apostrophes in my post?
Posted by: Alison | May 13, 2005 at 16:35
also here in Germany my German English teacher told us, that there's no space behind & before the apostrophe - maybe these other English teachers are all French? - France is the 'one' country in all Europe, where you rarely can't publicly communicate with people in english - it seems that nobody of the population ever heard of english & if someone speaks english - it's very poor..
(thank you Alison for your guestbook entry)
Posted by: Heimo | May 13, 2005 at 19:38
Tu as raison, mais je ne sais pas expliquer pourquoi.
Posted by: Margaret | May 13, 2005 at 20:23
I agree with the others...you are correct.
On another note, I think you should start teaching bogus information! Make stuff up. Try to make them as stupid as possible during your last few weeks as their teacher. Also, all examples of spoken English should be attributed to Mitch Cumsteen. Just my $0.02
Posted by: Yibbyl | May 13, 2005 at 21:43
just like in French, no spaces. Also like in French, and probably what they are confusing is the need to NOT ATTACH the two letters on either side of the apostrophe. Letters do not touch. Looks like a space, but really ain't!
Posted by: Anne | May 14, 2005 at 11:25
I really don ' t know !!!
Posted by: coldbear | May 14, 2005 at 11:52