The Last Word — Striking the Right Chord with an Apostrophe

Alleged failure to use an apostrophe spiked a cortisol release for Australian realtor Anthony Zadravic. In his Facebook post on October 22, 2020, which he deleted within 12 hours, he commented on his former employer who, Zadravic said, “was selling multi million $ [sic] homes in Pearl Beach but can’t pay his employees superannuation.” See Daily Mail. In Australia, “superannuation” is a retirement plan for which an employer must contribute 11 percent of an employee’s earnings into the employee’s account.

The Facebook post prompted a defamation action against Zadravic in New South Wales. Notice the difference between the post as written, “employees superannuation,” and the phrase with an apostrophe added, “employee’s superannuation.” The trial court ruled against the defendant’s motion to dismiss the matter and found that using the plural “employees” suggested a systematic pattern of misconduct. The court concluded that “to fail to pay one employee’s superannuation might be seen as unfortunate; to fail to pay some or all of them looks deliberate.” Id.

Lack of attention to aprostrophe use also occurs closer to home. In a Missouri case involving two defendants, an attorney criticized the opposing counsel’s complaint, arguing that the inconsistent use of an apostrophe when referencing “defendants” and “defendant’s” made it impossible to determine which allegations were meant for both defendants or one of them. The criticism took place through an eight-page listing of resulting questions. See Attorney Objects to Motion's Use of Apostrophes, Possessives.

One form of apostrophe misuse is common enough to earn the name “the greengrocer’s apostrophe.” This is when an apostrophe is wrongly used in the plural form of an abbreviation or noun, such as “Apple’s $3 per pound.”

In addition to their use in singular and plural possessives, apostrophes also are used in contractions. With contractions, the concern is not so much misuse as tone.

What is tone? Tone reveals the author’s attitude about a subject or topic. It can be delivered primarily through word choice, punctuation, and syntax. Similarly, when engaging with someone in person, your facial expression, vocal pitch, and body language convey a certain tone that informs the language you use in conversation. Hear the difference in pitch between a person attempting to coax a smile out of a baby versus reprimanding a teenager for thoughtless behavior.

By using the right tone in writing, readers can better understand the author’s emotions and passion regarding a topic. The tone signals how the author intends the writing to make the reader feel. The tone might be delightful or sarcastic, lighthearted or aggressive, casual or intense, but all can be conveyed through writing.

The tone of a commentary, verbal or written, is affected by using a contraction (or not). A contraction can accelerate the reader’s cadence or reflect a less formal presentation simply by mashing two words together to make them shorter. It also can make your writing seem more conversational and make the reader feel included— wouldn’t you agree?

Traditionally, we have been taught to avoid contractions in formal writing, but their use in informal writing is acceptable. The formality of a writing or presentation is enhanced by avoiding contractions. When was the last time you reviewed a US Supreme Court opinion riddled with contractions? Next, consider the dialogue in a favorite novel and how the author used sentence and word construction to deliver the desired tone. A rule of thumb on whether to use a contraction might be found by considering whether to wear a bathing suit to a party. Well, it depends, doesn’t it, on whether it is a formal dinner party or a holiday pool party?

A careful, intentional use of a contraction can aid a verbal or written presentation. What tone do you want to strike? If more formal, consider avoiding contractions. The well-timed, well-placed use of contractions can be effective if you’re trying to drive momentum or foster a connection in your writing. Every accomplished musician, writer, or speaker must strike the right note to provide the appropriate tone. Could it be a masterpiece with the wrong tone? I hope you’ll agree that it cannot be—or should that be, “it can’t be”?