Dear Trader Joe’s: It’s All About Salt!
January 5th, 2012 § 4 Comments
Dear Reader,
Let’s take a look at this label from Trader Joe’s salt container:
Do you see the obvious problem? We know that the contraction it’s stands for it is. Therefore, when we spell out the words in the contraction, the sentence reads as follows:
• Trader Joe’s sea salt is perfect for grilling and roasting meats due to it is delicate flavor, lingering taste and slower dissolving properties.
But this doesn’t make sense, does it? No, this sentence requires the possessive pronoun—its:
• Trader Joe’s sea salt is perfect for grilling and roasting meats due to its (i.e., the salt’s) delicate flavor, lingering taste and slower dissolving properties.
I know I’ve covered it’s and its before (please see my post from May 30, 2010). But because this problem is ubiquitous, I thought I should cover it again.
Until next time, happy reading!
Scoop
Good catch! It’s amazing how many mistakes on labels you can find.
I’ve always found this a problem too.
Esp. with plural nouns.
Eg. Her fingers’ color was turning blue.
I always write finger’s … it’s really confusing..
Hi!
In the example you mentioned, perhaps it would be easier to write it this way: Her fingers were turning blue. Whenever you’re in doubt, keep it simple.
Because you care, you’ll get it right most of the time. And do keep in mind that no one is perfect!
Best,
Scoop
Thanks a lot!