I learned a new term: grocer's apostrophe

I never knew that there was a particular term for when you mistakenly use an apostrophe in front of a plural "s," but there apparently is: it's called the grocer's apostrophe.

In a 2017 WhatsApp exchange that further confirms Hunter Biden's culpability for multiple acts of financial malfeasance, Hunter erroneously writes the plural of his surname as "Biden's" when he really means "Bidens."

“The Biden’s are the best I know at doing exactly what the Chairman wants from this [partnership].”

Learn when and when not to use an apostrophe. Don't use it to pluralize anything:

WRONG: the 1960's, the Jones's, two elephants'

RIGHT: the 1960s, the Joneses, two elephants

One exception to the pluralization rule is if the lack of an apostrophe will cause confusion.

AWKWARD: My daughter got straight As. (confusing: "As" or "A"s?)

BETTER: My daughter got straight A's. (confusion avoided)

Don't mess up the apostrophe's placement or leave it out when it's needed:

WRONG: the childrens' toy car (poor placement)

WRONG: the childrens toy car (apostrophe missing)

RIGHT: the children's toy car

Use it for singular and plural possessives:

the rat's immortal soul (singular)

the aliens' still-quivering dinner (plural)

Max's portrait (singular—and don't be the idiot who writes "Max' portrait")

Jesus' sermons (singular, s-final ancient name)*

Jonas's songs (singular, s-final modern name)*

a car's engine problems (regular singular)

many cars' engine problems (regular plural)

a woman's promise (singular)

women's promises (irregular plural)

Watch your apostrophes. Avoid the grocer's apostrophe. Or the grocer will come for you.

credit

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*Different references will contend different things about this.