"An apostrophe followed by “s” was often used to mark a plural;[4] specifically, the Oxford Companion to the English Language notes that
There was formerly a respectable tradition (17th to 19th centuries) of using the apostrophe for noun plurals, especially in loanwords ending in a vowel (as in … Comma’s are used, Philip Luckcombe, 1771) and in the consonants s, z, ch, sh, (as in waltz’s and cotillions, Washington Irving, 1804)…"
That’s a way better quote! I’m still not sure that saying “it used to be the standard” is quite right, but it was definitely common place in specific circumstances and our avoidance of using it for plurals is a more modern invention.
I personally prefer the modern usage as it’s less ambiguous, although there’s some bias there I’m sure.
"An apostrophe followed by “s” was often used to mark a plural;[4] specifically, the Oxford Companion to the English Language notes that
There was formerly a respectable tradition (17th to 19th centuries) of using the apostrophe for noun plurals, especially in loanwords ending in a vowel (as in … Comma’s are used, Philip Luckcombe, 1771) and in the consonants s, z, ch, sh, (as in waltz’s and cotillions, Washington Irving, 1804)…"
That’s a way better quote! I’m still not sure that saying “it used to be the standard” is quite right, but it was definitely common place in specific circumstances and our avoidance of using it for plurals is a more modern invention.
I personally prefer the modern usage as it’s less ambiguous, although there’s some bias there I’m sure.