The Apostrophe

[woodelf]

If you were to abbreviate words into letters, e.g. Compact Discs or Detective Constables, would you use the possessive apostrophe, CD's and DC's or just use CDs and DCs? Ta Muchly.

[maggiebee]

No I wouldn't because they are not possessive - just plural. No apostrophe needed with plurals.

[gingejbee]

If it's one CD, then it's two CDs...in my opinion.

[Old_Geezer]

I believe the official stance is that they should be there. But you ask what I do, and I can see no legitimate reason for them to be there confusing the situation, so it irks, and I do not add them. The change in letter case is indication enough.

[dannyk13]

Not needed with plurals.

[maggiebee]

Possessive - apostrophe
Plural - no apostrophe

[Prudie]

This is one of my bugbears at work where I see apostrophes on capitalised acronyms and shortenings all the time eg PC's. Apostrophes should not be used with plural abbreviations.

[gingejbee]

However, apostrophes also indicate missing letters eg "it's" and somebody will say that there are lots of missing letters in "CD". However, I stand by my original answer....no apostrophe needed.

[hc4361]

I can see where confusion may arise if the 's' is part of the abbreviation - RBS, vhs as examples.

[woodelf]

Many Thanks to You All and I agree with you all, just had to double check to make sure.

[Peter Pedant]

no apostrophe

[Khandro]

It would be compact discs so it would be CDs

[Champagne]

Apostrophe not required. I'm always correcting people in the workplace on this!

[douglas9401]

Sense of proporton for sale, unused. No previous owner's

[Toxophilus]

No apostrophe needed. An apostrophe does indicate something is omitted ( it's = it is ) but not in the case you mention. Abbreviations with an apostrophe would lose a mark in an examination. If an apostrophe is included in a plural word, it would lose marks too.

[Hopkirk]

The whole area is such a mess.

If something belongs to James, it can be written as James's or James'.

If I search on line for Bishop's Stortford, it varies between websites.

Some won't recognise it with the apostrophe, some won't without it.

Isn't it time the 'rules' were simplified.

[Mr-H]

Trouble is - these days simplification of rules normally means 'there are now no rules'. It would be a shame to say goodbye to the apostrophe. Bit like 'Eats, shoots and leaves'.

[baza]

Hopkirk, why would anybody want to look up Bishops Stortford, it's a dump.

[andy-hughes]

It is a bugbear for those of us for whom language and punctuation are important - but increasingly, people seem to scatter apostophe's where ever there seem's to be a place for them, even if it isnt appropriate (!!!!!)

I have even seen signs on vans with apostrophes in wrong places - now that is scary!

[boxtops]

LOL baza.....

Yes woodelf, no apostrophe.

[jeffa]

The missing letter argument is nonsense, IMO. If "compact disc" is abbreviated to CD, then why isn't its plural form C'D's? There are more letters removed from "compact" than there are from "disc"!

I agree with the other posters who say no apostrophe's in plural's :-)