Bridgeton – European City of Apostrophe Abuse 2006, originally uploaded by dseang.

There are good intentions here, I almost feel for the proprietor. I can imagine her furrowed brow as she checks what she has written:

Marion’s

Possessive singular – correct.

Ladie’s

Possessive plural. She’s thinking, “I know that’s how you spell ladies but I’ve got to stick an apostrophe somewhere“.

Children

She’s losing interest in the possessive now, she knows something is wrong with the last one and is giving this one a wide birth.

Gents

Possessive plural, abbreviated form. She’s given up here. I can almost imagine her trying out all the variants of apostrophes, plurals and full-stops to indicate abbreviation.

Gent’s. Gentleman’s Gents.’ Oh sod it!