The greengrocer’s apostrophe is when an apostrophe and “s” are used to pluralize a word instead of the correct plural ending. It is often seen in grocery store signage but can occur in other businesses. The misuse stems from confusion between plurals and possessives. Proper use of apostrophes can be confusing, but understanding the difference between plurals and possessives is key.
The greengrocer’s apostrophe occurs whenever a writer attempts to pluralize a word by using an apostrophe plus “s” instead of the correct plural ending. A handmade sign at a local grocery store might advertise “Apple’s Two Dollars a Pound” or “Orange’s $3.99 a Bag,” for example. The term “greengrocer’s apostrophe” was actually inspired by grammatical errors so glaring in grocery store signage.
However, the ill-conceived practice of using a greengrocer’s apostrophe isn’t limited to grocery stores. Many local or small businesses have been known to set up similar signs advertising “Stereos and televisions for sale” or “Compare our rates with other companies!”
An apostrophe S (or S apostrophe) generally denotes possession, not number. It can also be used in a contraction, such as “it’s” for “it is”. However, there are few exceptions to the rule against using a greengrocer’s apostrophe to pluralize. In some cases, an apostrophe might be used to indicate a plural of a letter, such as “A” and “U” although some grammarians object to this usage as well; without the apostrophe, however, those letters could be confused with the words “As” and “We.”
When the greengrocers term apostrophe was first popularized, most likely in the Liverpool, England area in the 1950s, there were a number of foreign born shop owners who misused the apostrophes in an attempt to over-correct their grammar errors in general English. A pluralized English word and a possessive can sound exactly the same, so language learners can use plurals as possessives and possessives as plurals.
The rules governing proper use of apostrophes can be quite confusing until the basic differences between plurals and possessives are fully understood. It can be difficult to explain why a statement like “My sister’s friends didn’t like the movie.” it’s not the same thing as “My sisters’ friends didn’t like the movie either.” Possession and number are closely linked when it comes to the correct use of apostrophes, so mistakes like the greengrocer’s apostrophe are understandable during the learning process. As students’ understanding of English grammar rules improves, the use of the greengrocer’s apostrophe should start to become less frequent.
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