Here's a usage question. I need to put a header on a web page. Which should
I choose?

   A. Dos and Don'ts
   B. Do's and Don'ts
   C. Do's and Don't's

I searched for all three using the Google search engine to survey common
practice and got the following results:

   A. 136,000 web sites
   B. 157,000 sites
   C. 8,850 sites

I also got 17,200 sites with "Do's and Dont's" and 4,050 with "Dos and
Donts." Since I'm assuming the use of apostrophes to mark contractions, I'm
ignoring these last two.

My inclination accords with the plurality. I favor B, but a colleague of
mine favors C. I'd like informed advice from y'all.

My reasoning for favoring B, even though A and C are internally consistent
in their use/nonuse of apostrophes, is this: Although apostrophes are
generally not used for plurals, an exception is made when punctuation is
needed to prevent confusion, as in:

    A's are hard to get from Prof. Gradgrind.
    You sing the do's and re's, and I'll sing the mi's and fa's.

So I lean toward B. The plural of Do needs an apostrophe so it doesn't look
like Dos. The plural of Don't doesn't.

What do you think? Citation of authority is especially welcome.

Dick Veit
UNCW English Department

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