What Manchester said. I've taught many students how to use apostrophes, the difference between "its" and "it's," "they're" and "their," but my typing fingers, like his, sometimes draw on some other ignorant part of the brain.
Intellectually and aspirationally, I am with you 100%. As a practical matter, not as much.
I do no the difference between its/it's and there/their/they're. I not only learned sentence diagramming as a kid, I liked it. I find it frustrating to have forgotten the technical terms for the various verb tenses and such - especially since ESL friends of mine who speak exceptionally-good English (i.e., speak English exceptionally well) sometimes ask me to explain some arcane bit of grammar.
And yet, sometimes my fingers seem to disconnect from the part of my brain where such information is stored and reroute themselves to my "homonym and near-homonym uber-alles cortex".
I remember reading somewhere that towards pertained to direction -- "He stepped towards the door."
Whereas toward was relational -- "Obama's views toward Syria are a joke."
Perhaps you are thinking of the differences between 'farther' and 'further.' 'Farther' refers to physical distance and 'further' refers to metaphorical or figurative distance.
"How much farther to the next stop on this whistle-stop campaign?" asked the politician, "I need to further my political ambitions by getting myself elected so lobbyists can fill my coffers and line my pockets."
“Nothing is what rocks dream about†― Aristotle
Perhaps you are thinking of the differences between 'farther' and 'further.' 'Farther' refers to physical distance and 'further' refers to metaphorical or figurative distance.
"How much farther to the next stop on this whistle-stop campaign?" asked the politician, "I need to further my political ambitions by getting myself elected so lobbyists can fill my coffers and line my pockets."
And yet, somehow it's not*...
STAFFER 1
Of course, the policy's stupid,
but the Senator's determined.
... I can't tell people how to come up with a great idea, I can't tell people how to have a voice, but I can tell people to do this tiny little thing. Learn to use apostrophes. For God's sake. It's not that difficult. And yet I see improper use in screenplays and it's a distraction.
You're and Your are not the same. Its and It's are not interchangeable. Not all words that end in "s" require apostrophes'. Buy a copy of Strunk and White, Elements of Style, and use it. Or, if your tastes are not so refined, go with English Grammar for Dummies.
It's the Apostrophe Apocalypse, all right. When basic rules are ignored, such a thing will inevitably rear its ugly head.
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