No Grammar Nazi - But Happy Mother's Day?

OK, most cards and online messages say Happy Mother's Day.

Yet, how many mothers are we talking about?
A day for just one, or all mothers?

So we need the plural - mothers.

Hence: Happy Mothers' Day

In older English: Happy Mothers's Day!

It can't be Happy Mother's Day.

You haven't made the plural yet!

"Happy Mothers' Day!"

a reply to: halfoldman

Well it's my Mother's day today.

kind regards,

bally

a reply to: bally001

What a coincidence!

It's my Mother's Day too!

And to think it falls on Mothers' Day!

a reply to: halfoldman

There you go,

it's a mother's day for every mother!



bally

a reply to: bally001

Yeah, so it's Mothers' Day!

a reply to: halfoldman

I only have one mother. It's her day.


Kind regards,

bally

a reply to: halfoldman

See next thread, snort, chortle to self.



bally

a reply to: bally001

But Google actually indicates "Mothers' Day" as a spelling error!

But it's correct!

It's a day for all mothers.

a reply to: halfoldman

Yes I agree. Happy day to all mothers.

lol, cheers' and beer's mate.

oop's'

bally

originally posted by: halfoldman
a reply to: bally001

But Google actually indicates "Mothers' Day" as a spelling error!

But it's correct!

It's a day for all mothers.

Easters bunny and Christmas' elves are going to hunt down the things and destroy them for this.

a reply to: halfoldman

Well, I had two mothers so it works for me either way.
Happy Mothers/Mother's day!

Round of beers on me!
(still don't know why we can't have a wine glass emoji!)

a reply to: halfoldman

From the proofreading perspective, some holidays are singular and some are plural possessive.

Mother's Day is one that is singular. I would guess this is because when we think about it, we are addressing one mother - our own.

April Fools' Day, by contrast, is plural possessive.

Then you have some like Grandparents Day which have no possessive at all.

originally posted by: halfoldman
OK, most cards and online messages say Happy Mother's Day.

True.

Yet, how many mothers are we talking about?

1

A day for just one, or all mothers?

1 at a time.

So we need the plural - mothers.

No, we don't.

On the card we're talking about one mother, not all of them. Are you giving a card to all mothers? No, you're giving a card to one mother, or at least one mother at a time. That's why it is singular. I'm all for proper grammar, at least when you know what you are talking about.

a reply to: schuyler

Well on that day you should be giving cards to all mothers, because it's Mothers' Day!

a reply to: halfoldman

No. When I got a vase with flowers in it this morning, my kid was not giving to all mothers everywhere, he was giving it to me - one mother, singular. It is my day even though all mothers are all sharing in that day alongside me.

a reply to: ketsuko

On what day?
If you're a mom, I'm sure you didn't get them on Labor Day.
Sorry, who's day?

originally posted by: halfoldman
a reply to: ketsuko

On what day?
If you're a mom, I'm sure you didn't get them on Labor Day.
Sorry, who's day?

My day. It's Mother's Day, and I will call my own mother because it's her day. And my husband will call his step-mother because it's her day.

But we aren't recognizing all mothers everywhere, just our mother. Now maybe, you would have a case if someone has two mommies, as in raised by lesbians. Then they would be celebrating Mothers' Day because they have two.

a reply to: ketsuko

So it's my mother's day, and all the other mothers can jump off a cliff day?

a reply to: halfoldman

Since we tend to have individual family celebrations, yarp.

Now if we held community-wide celebrations, maybe it would have gone to a plural possessive.

It's not that all the other mothers can go jump off a cliff so much as every family celebrates its own mother.