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Comment by arp242 | Hacker News Reader

I don't get why people get all bothered by this kind of stuff. The reason people make these mistakes is because it's all pronounced exactly the same, and no one is confused by what "It's wrong" and "Its wrong" means, when pronounced or when written.

The "Correct Use of the Apostrophe in the English Language" page claims that the rules are "very simple". If they're that simple then why do you need 8 bullet-points and five screens of text to explain these "very simple" rules?

I wish people were more relaxed about this kind of thing. Just accept "its" and "it's" as correct, and "Two week's time" and "Two weeks' time", etc. No one gets confused by this sort of thing.

Our brains are geared towards spoken language, not written language. My main take-aware from this is that we should change the spelling to be less error-prone, or just accept both as correct. The problem is with the spelling, not the people.

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The problem is not that it's confusing but that, because the rules exist and set our expectations, we mentally trip over violations of them. We stop absorbing what was intended to be communicated and have to back up and try again. I don't disagree that changing the rules would solve this, but we haven't done that. So in individual instances of written communication which each of us does have the power to affect, it's on the writer to ensure the reader has no unnecessary trouble. I could wear boots inside your house, but I'd rather you clean up the Lego.

You're only bothered by it if you let yourself be bothered by it. "Mentally tripping over it" is something entirely within your own control.

Unlike some other languages the English language doesn't even have "official rules"; it's a loose consensus of the speakers of the language (i.e. you and me). You can quite literally set your own rules.

OK, but I notice you're still using apostrophes in all their accepted right places, and I assume that's because you intend to accommodate me and other readers who haven't discarded the rules and would still trip. Earnestly, thank you, and please keep it up, because unless new rules emerge (whether official or just usage), we'll continue to be tripped up when the existing scheme isn't followed.

I customize more than enough things in my life for the sake of "better". It's not worth the tradeoff to deviate and be the pioneer every time. Some things you gotta run stock because compatibility is a major benefit.

I mean, obviously I realize that some people will take what I write less serious if I don't correctly use apostrophes, so it's worth the effort. I also think the whole "don't split infinitives" thing is utter bollocks, but if you know that a section of your audience will get all triggered over it then it's probably best to avoid (even though it's silly).

My point isn't that you or I should stop writing apostrophes, but that you should stop being bothered by other people not always using the correctly (or rather, our perception of what's "correct").

Its definately a loosing battle.

An important function of language (and accent) is to distinguish between groups/classes of people.

Makes it easy to tell if someone spent many years at school, or learnt a "trade", to tell people from one (monied) area from a less affluent part of town.

For this function, "correct" or "incorrect" use of apostrophes (like an accent) is serving a very clear purpose - telling others your position in society.

As a non-native speaker who has learned English primarily by reading, sentences with these mistakes often confuse me, especially if they're complicated. Since “its” and “it's” are in completely different grammar categories, I basically have to re-parse the whole sentence.

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