This is more complicated than it looks at first glance. It's technically OK to use periods in initialisms like ATM, but I personally wouldn't. Then for forming a plural with an apostrophe, if you have chosen to use periods in the initialism then that actually makes it correct to use an apostrophe for the plural. If you leave out the periods, you must also leave off the apostrophe.

So I'd say the use in the article is pretty awkward and bad form, but perhaps acceptable.

I wasn't aware of the bolded. Is that in Chicago, AP, or what?

I know it's in Chicago, NYT, and many other guides too. They basically say that if an abbreviation has internal periods, then the plural should use an apostrophe.

Try a couple examples and the reason becomes obvious.

I think Im getting dumber as I get older...

I read the above and spent a good three minutes mentally fighting with The Atlantic on how it wasn't getting across the headline that Mr. Ohanian founded Reddit so that companies would fear the internet but then realized it's about pointing out certain ones should fear the internet and he's just some guy who founded a particular internet institution.

Basically, I didn't internalize the right emphasis on "which".

As I said, I think Im getting dumber.

The ultimate rule for good expository writing is never to write in a way that can be easily misread by your reader. However, as in this case, the attempt to be pithy in a headline often overrides that rule--and many sites online have recorded some of the better examples. ("DRUNK GETS NINE MONTHS IN VIOLIN CASE" and "FARMER BILL DIES IN HOUSE" are the first two a quick search turned up.)

Contributing to the confusion from that headline is the capitalization of the word " founder".

You are correct; I found it in Chicago (15th ed.) and here (the very first item!):
http://afterdeadline.blogs.nytimes.c...faqs-on-style/

This incident has convinced me to give up my grammar nittery. Too many little rules and exceptions taking up mental space that I could be using to play Candy Crush.

Here are some more gems. Enjoy.

AC Dolls will put your eye out.

K guys, which do you support?

A) If worse comes to worse.
B) If worse comes to worst.
C) If worst comes to worse.
D) If worst comes to worst.

I've been using A since as far as I can remember. I don't know if I was taught that or if that just how I heard it. But I understand that I might not convey the full meaning when I say it. I basically say, "If the worse thing becomes worse than what it is."

I think, you could make a case for "If worst comes to worse," as you could argue you are having the worst thing happen to something that has already been made worse and similarly for C which, oddly, is also the title of a song I don't think I've heard.

D is right out...

D but I'd accept B

D ainec.

I'm sorry, I don't see any errors on the A.C. Dolls poster.

Edit: I see the missing "i" now. But that's all. I'm guessing there was a concern about the apostrophes and abbreviations which all look fine to me.

nyt "on language" column re: this issue

basically, the original idiom started off as D, but daniel defoe used B in robinson crusoe almost 300 yrs ago, and the 2 variants have been duking it out ever since. both are acceptable in modern usage.

Besides the very common misuse of "there" and "their" respective "your" and "you're" (almost exclusively by native speakers ) ,it tilts me hard when people misplace punctuation marks , often done in multiple different versions throughout a single post.Do they really think a full stop starts a sentence ?

Also ,,,,multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind . Same goes for commata.

There, there.

Explanation?

maybe they used to not be open for lunch

Yeah, and/or they're a bar with a sort of fuzzy closing time that varies depending on the crowd. It's not awful. Something like "Now open daily at 11AM for the summer" would be better though.

Seriously? Maybe before you go "tilting" on other people, you should stop and start doing it more on your own posts.

I suck at proofreading and I have already found three "tilting" mistakes.

1) An ending parenthesis doesn't have spaces.
2) Commas and question marks don't have spaces in front of them.
3) Ellipses have three marks, have their space at the end and beginning, and are made with PERIODS (or full stops as you say).

Unless this was an epicly executed level. If so, then well played sir!

I think that quite often when people make the mistake with your and you're, or there and their, that it really isn't such a grammar mistake, as it is a semi-typo. Think about it......everyone in their mind is making the correct distinction right before they type there or their, so it is usually just a mistake in typing that out, since they are thinking about it correctly. Same with your and you're. It is more sloppiness or laziness than an actual grammar mistake.

The nails on chalkboard one for me is when someone says "should have went". That immediately tells me a lot about the person, education and family wise. I've seen a few mistakes on forums that are just stunning. They aren't necessarily grammar mistakes. I've seen people say cole cuts when meaning cold cuts (but they are actually thinking that it is cole cuts...lol), and amazingly, I have seen whore **** when most of upright humans say horse****.

I saw a Craigs List post once where a girl said that she had just reasonally moved to town. I printed it out and looked at it every once in a while. I felt bad. If you search any type of Craigs List ad for housing wanted or anything else, you will see some amazing stuff.

dear lord how dumb are you

this is wrong. most people do not understand the difference between those words and are not thinking about it correctly.