need help with spelling, is it lot's or lots

KiKi

OR - maybe she was mistaking it for "patience complaints". Complaints about rude and impatient staff, maybe?

starrystarry

There's a takeaway near me called Happy Bunnie's. They sell pizza's, kebab's, burger's and (my personal favourite) currie's.

Mojisola

There's a hairdresser near me that has an A board outside - Haircuts - Gent's & Ladie's.

pollypenny

I can envisage 'Patient Complaints' heading a list on a computer or being a label on a file.

However, as it contains complaints made by patients, the corrrect form would be 'Patients' Complaints.'

An easy way to test is to turn it round to the 'old-style way - complaints of the patients - clearly shows possession.

Ann's car -the car of Ann, etc

KiKi

Mojisola wrote: »

There's a hairdresser near me that has an A board outside - Haircuts - Gent's & Ladie's.

You see, what frustrates me about this is that there's no reason to apply is to Gents and Ladies any more than Haircuts. By all means, get it wrong, but at least get it wrong consistently.

Mojisola

fluffnutter wrote: »

I can't agree with your OH's mum. I think an apostrophe would be needed. Depending on context, "patients' complaints" (the collective complaints of all the patients) or "patient's complaints" (the multiple complaints of a single patient) would be correct.

However, you often see the apostrophe dropped in this context, particularly on signs.

ktb - could you ask her to explain her reasoning because there's a lot of us agree with fluff?

pollypenny

Ironically, 'Gent's' could be correct, as the apsotrophe shows omission!

Better not to go there though.

Best rule - if in doubt, leave out!

starrystarry

KiKi wrote: »

You see, what frustrates me about this is that there's no reason to apply is to Gents and Ladies any more than Haircuts. By all means, get it wrong, but at least get it wrong consistently.;)

Indeed. The sign on a pub near me used to read "The Colliers Arm's".

What did the Arms do to deserve an apostrophe that the Colliers didn't?

KiKi

starrystarry wrote: »

Indeed. The sign on a pub near me used to read "The Colliers Arm's".

What did the Arms do to deserve an apostrophe that the Colliers didn't?

Exactly! There used to be a shop near me with a huge billboard that said "Beds and Sofa's". I could only deduce that it was because sofa ends in a vowel, and so somehow there was need to make it clear that it was a plural of sofa and not a word read as "soffas".

(Plus, Colliers *should* have an apostrophe.)

starrystarry

KiKi wrote: »

Exactly! There used to be a shop near me with a huge billboard that said "Beds and Sofa's". I could only deduce that it was because sofa ends in a vowel, and so somehow there was need to make it clear that it was a plural of sofa and not a word read as "soffas".

(Plus, Colliers *should* have an apostrophe.)

I know, a sign with only three words and they got the apostrophes wrong in two of them. Quite an achievement.