HGV's or HGVs

[DavidNW]

Hello, everyone.

I was out driving with a friend this morning and saw a road sign the stated "HGV's to take next lefthand lane" (or words to that effect).

I claimed to my friend that the sign should have read "HGVs" - omitting the apostrophe. However, he claimed that the sign was correct in saying "HGV's".

Any thoughts on this one folks as there is money at stake here!

Many thanks,

David.

[Alan Palmer]

David,

Welcome!

The FAQ on this gives the short answer; that "HGVs" is correct, without an apostrophe. However, if the signwriter only had uppercase letters at his disposal, and that would have meant using "HGVS" it could be considered acceptable to use an apostrophe: "HGV'S" to stop people wondering what this strange initialism might mean.

[Verbivore]

Welcome, DaveNW!

HGV's conforms to an older style no longer much favoured in the UK and Australia; it seems, however, to be the norm in the US.

Neither is right nor wrong so much as a matter of style - but I'm for the unapostrophised version.

Same with other initialisms or acronyms; decades (e.g. the 1990s - although 1990's is okay if one is describing the year 1990's music, for example); and even plain numerals: 3s, 5s, 9s; and letters: As, Bs, Cs ... (although with those, and more so with their lowercase companions as, bs, cs ... the apostrophe may be used legitimately for clarity of meaning - if one can't use typographical features to make one's meaning clear, e.g. 3s, 5s, 9s; As, Bs, Cs; as, bs, cs).

[DavidNW]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies. I think I'll go with HGVs on this one.

I guess I'm thinking along the lines of "Free CD's with every purchase" (you know the kind of thing; hopefully. I always think "CDs" should be used in such instances.

David.

[Paul Doherty]

I wonder whether your friend might be planning on advancing the argument that the apostrophe indicates the letters missing from V[ehicle]s? (It is used sometimes as an argument for plural photo's and so on.)

If so, he'd have to be happy with H'G'V's, I guess.