The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct sentence is: Our doors close at eleven.
The error in the sign is the incorrect use of an apostrophe in the word “DOOR’S”. This common mistake confuses the plural form of a noun with the possessive or contracted form. A detailed explanation of why “doors” is the correct choice involves understanding the distinct functions of the apostrophe.
Apostrophes serve two primary purposes in English grammar. The first is to indicate possession, showing that something belongs to someone or something else. For example, one would write “the door’s handle” to show that the handle belongs to the door. In the sentence on the sign, the doors are not possessing anything; they are the subject performing the action of closing. Therefore, the possessive form is inappropriate.
The second function of an apostrophe is to create a contraction, which is a shortened form of two words. “Door’s” can be a contraction for “door is” or “door has.” If we substitute this into the original sentence, it would read, “Our door is close at eleven.” This sentence is grammatically incorrect. The verb should be “closes” to agree with the singular subject “door.” More importantly, it changes the intended meaning. A business establishment typically refers to all its entrances, not just a single door, making the plural form necessary.
The correct word needed in this context is the simple plural noun “doors.” To make most regular English nouns plural, we simply add the letter “s” to the end of the word, without any punctuation. The subject of the sentence is plural (“doors”), which correctly pairs with the base form of the verb (“close”). The resulting sentence, “Our doors close at eleven,” is grammatically sound and accurately conveys that the establishment’s entrances will be shut at that time. This type of error is frequent, but remembering that apostrophes are not used to form simple plurals helps avoid it.
