This may not seem like a blog-worthy topic, but I feel strongly about the misuse of the apostrophe. Whenever I see a sign where an apostrophe has been placed where it is clearly not needed, I want to go and remove it. The reverse is true for signs where it has been left out.

Yes, I am the kind of person who uses apostrophes when sending text messages and emails from small devices. So the discovery I made only this past week is what inspired today’s blog.

I was looking for the hidden smart (curly) quote mark on the computer keyboard – because I was using a software program that was putting in straight ones (inch marks). And I recalled that I had a printout of keyboard tips in my drawer. I found the sheet in a plastic folder and was able to locate the curly quote marks I needed.

When I turned the folder over to return it to the drawer there was a printed sheet on the other side. At some point, a few years ago, I had put together a list of iOS tips for iPads.

Tip #6 was titled ‘Hidden apostrophe key on the keyboard’. I’ve always thought Apple had made a big mistake in not having the apostrophe on the first screen of iPhone and iPad keyboards…having to click onto the next screen to find it. Now here it was, the answer that I must have quickly scanned, put in the drawer and forgotten about.

And it is so simple. Just tap and hold the ! key and voilà – an apostrophe is placed where you want it. And for quote marks, tap and hold the ? key. Amazing. How I’ve lived with my iDevices for so many years without knowing this is also amazing.

So, I just wanted to share this. For any other apostrophe control freaks out there who might not know about this vital time-saver.

Where to buy books by Jen Silver:

The Circle Dance: Affinity eBooks /Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books/ Smashwords / Apple iTunes

The Starling Hill Trilogy:

Starting Over: Affinity eBooks / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Apple iTunes

Arc Over Time: Affinity eBooks / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Apple iTunes

Carved in Stone: Affinity eBooks / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Apple iTunes