Happy Valentine-apostrophe-s Day

I noticed that one of the most popular posts on the blog this week is our protracted discussion of the apostrophe in Fathers’/Father’s Day (continued here) because tomorrow is … drum roll, please …Valentine’s Day.

And this apostrophe isn’t controversial at all, thankfully. This pseudo-holiday is named for Saint Valentine (the History Channel has a very nice page on the unfortunate lover), and since the day belongs to him, grammatically it’s a straightforward possessive. So, stick the apostrophe before the -s and worry about more important things. Like giving your English teacher chocolate.

Of course, I could muddy the waters by reminding you that there is a countable common noun “valentine” (the card that you might send/receive), and thus a plural noun “valentines,” so if the day were actually re-named for the cards … well, never mind. If you hit on this page looking for the correct spelling, I doubt very much you’ll appreciate that line of thought.

Which reminds me to send a public v/Valentine to my lovely wife. Who said I’m not a romantic?

Author: Nigel Caplan

Nigel Caplan, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Delaware English Language Institution, as well as a textbook author, consultant, and speaker. Nigel holds a PhD from the University of Delaware, a master's in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor's degree from Cambridge University. He is currently director of Project DELITE, a federal grant providing ESL certification to Delaware teachers. He also brews beer. View all posts by Nigel Caplan