Because the apostrophe can't protect itself

[eplovejoy]

Join the fight against misuse of that defenseless punctuation:

http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

Hooray!!!!! 'bout time someone took care of the poor, abused apostrophe.

mj
who refuses to get manicures at the place down the street with its sign "Hair and Nail's Done Here."

[AuntieEmma[$]]

The "Apostrophe Protection Society!" Ha, ha, love it.

MOT's at this garage which should read MOTs at this garage ...

New CD's just in! which should read New CDs just in!

The New York Times uses the first construction: they write CD's. (And since they're consistent about this usage, I suppose they would also write MOT's, should they have any reason to ever refer to a MOT, whatever that might be.)

Maybe the troops of the Apostrophe Protection Society should invade the New World to rescue the apostrophe from Yankee disrespect. Paul Revere, where are you?

Seriously, though, I don't think this is a question of U.S. versus British usage. I think it is a quirk of the New York Times.

[tipu]

Originally posted by AuntieEmma
Seriously, though, I don't think this is a question of U.S. versus British usage. I think it is a quirk of the New York Times.

I can believe that, AEm. Patricia O' Connor, an editor at the NYTBR, indicates that different folks take different routes in this case, and for consistency's sake recommends using the apostrophe in such cases as CD's, in her book Woe Is I. I don't think it really makes sense, but I'm no language maven...
*

[kurt_messick]

Perhaps we could revive morse code by using apostrophes?

Why not found the SPCA... the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Apostrophe's.

[THMeeks]

I had to explain, in great depth (plus two e-mails, one including a link to an English reference site) to one of my clients that all plural nouns do NOT take an apostrophe. I think I really lost her on the whole possessive thing. She kept trying to tell me that I had made a grammatical error and I kept trying to tell her that if she stuck an apostrophe in my text she'd be making a mistake.

I still don't know if she believed me.

I thought it was a really nice point that I read somewhere about its. We don't apostrophize (is that a word? ) his, hers or theirs so its is the same way. It makes it a lot easier to remember...

Ander

[kurt_messick]

'Apostrophize' (or 'apostrophise') is a correct word.

Of course, apostrophe also has another meaning -- to address someone or something who is absent rhetorically.

Are these protected, too?