As an editor, it's my job to seek out and find grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes and bring the chaos to an end. I do not claim to be the Grammar Police. This blog post is probably riddled with mistakes that would make a newspaper editor cry. I do, however, cringe when I see written word that is blatantly botched.

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I was raised on the AP Style Guide; a go-to of sorts for the nerdiest of grammar cops.

One thing that drives me up a wall but is commonplace in today's society is the mistake of using an apostrophe in a plural acronym. For example, Luke Bryan is going to release a statement about the ACM's tomorrow." The ACMs are not owning or possessing "tomorrow," so why the apostrophe?

This also applies to decades, as well. For example, “The 1980s were a crazy time for fashion.” or “The ‘80s were a crazy time for fashion.”

According to my beloved AP Style Guide:

  • To form a plural of a single letter, use s and an apostrophe: “All the B’s lined up to the right.” To form a plural of multiple letters, add s with no apostrophe: “She mastered her ABCs in little time.”
  • To form the plural of words made out of a group of letters, add the letter s: CDs, ABCs, TVs.
  • Add an s but no apostrophe to a number to make it plural: “She kept rolling 7s.” The same rule applies to decades: the 1980s. Use an apostrophe on a decade only if cutting off the initial figures: the ’80s.

So, there you have it. Mind your P's and Q's and we'll be all good!

 

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