In latin, video means I see...

I reported, a while back, of Tesco being unfairly accused of incorrectly using the apostrophe. Since then, one of their customer service staff has made an error in a letter to me, and an erroneous plural has materialised in their Tesco Extra store in Kingston Park, Newcastle.

It seems that they are starting to tip the balance of apostrophe ignorance.

So, to the offending sign:

SALE - £1.99 - Video's

These cheap video cassettes cost as little as £1.99 - but probably don't deserve their name to be tarnished with the unnecessary additional apostrophe. The video doesn't own anything. It should be given a simple s on its tail to make the plural.

Perhaps the correct plural did not appeal to the person making the sign. It seems common for people who are ignorant of the plural to try to cover up that fact by using the apostrophe. Sadly, this has the opposite effect. Shall we have a whip round for a dictionary for Tesco staff?

5th August 2001
Ashley Frieze