“NEW YEARS EVE WITH CARSON DALY”

Apostrophes, Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Possessives

I saw this title repeatedly on an NBC television program last evening.

Problem:
An apostrophe is missing.

Explanation:
There it was in all capital letters as we headed into the year 2008: a program title screaming to be scanned for errors. Sure enough, there was one.

The singular noun “YEAR” requires a possessive apostrophe followed by an “S” to indicate the possession of the “EVE” by the year. Another way to write this phrase is “EVE OF THE NEW YEAR …”.

I believe that the absence of a required possessive apostrophe can be attributable to:

  1. A typographical error;
  2. Ignorance about possessive apostrophes.

Given how bold the title was, I dismiss #1 for the program title. Surely someone at NBC would have caught the error, if she understood how to use possessive apostrophes.

That leaves us with #2 for the program title. I believe that this ignorance is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” hypothesis. It’s simpler to write possessive words without apostrophes than to write them with apostrophes.

For help with apostrophes, I highly recommend Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.

Solution:
“NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH CARSON DALY”