Adam, thanks; don't know HOW I missed that one.

Digihippy, I'm with you... when I start seeing that even people whose business it is to know such things really neither know nor care, I start to wonder myself if the distinction is really that important.

Spyffe, you're correct, of course; I gave you the list as an example of the text to be corrected, not as I would have edited it.

Thanks everyone.

He's simply hung up on the spelling. Fix your customer's cognitive dysfunction this way:

Tell him about the different dashes in typesetting. He probably won't know whether you are talking about an "N" or "en" dash, or an "M" or "em" dash, since English is obviously not his strong suit. Ask him which sounds better, "a" or "an" en dash or em dash.

If he is a Cockney and persists in calling the smallest dash "an 'yphen," you are lost. Give up.

And what would be wrong with "My watch is slow?"

Upon further reflection, I realized that the real question begging to be answered here is not, "what usage is correct," but "why is the mistaken usage so often used?".

I think what people often have in mind when they make these signs is a phrase such as "For Ladies Only" or "This room is for ladies."

Alternatively, they could be thinking of "Men" and "Ladies" not as people possessing something, but as simple names of categories. For example, here on my desk at work, I have some items I need to sort. I could label one box "Paper Clips." Another could be "Sticky Notes." A third could be "Pens and Pencils." It would be wrong as a three-dollar bill for me to write Paper Clips', Sticky Notes', or (even worse!) Pens' and Pencils'.

So, editors of bathroom plaque copy should specify that a pair of signs should read either "Men/Ladies," or "Men's/Ladies'." Or, which is even more correct, "Gentlemen" and "Ladies."

Not that the Chinese were notable pyramid builders or anything :)

I hope I'm understanding your question properly.

After examining the dictionary entries for "people" (which usually also contain "peoples"), I conclude that the distinction is probably made to avoid the following sort of confusion:

Compare:

"Mayan and Chinese people built pyramids in ancient times."
"Mayan and Chinese peoples built pyramids in ancient times."

I can't imagine too many ancient people (individuals) who were both Mayan and Chinese, can you (distance being the obstacle to intermarriage that it is)? But I can easily imagine that there was a people (nation, society) that was Mayan, and another people that was Chinese, and that they were each pyramid builders.

Overlooked something....

The use of "security" above is an example of quotes used as if you had in mind the word "so-called." Quotes used to express sarcasm should follow the normal rule for quotations in your context (work, school, country).

Jesus, are you kidding? I thought that pronuciation went out in the Elizabethan era. For what it's worth, I think "an hotel" is an affected pseudo-Englishism favored by American Anglomaniacs.

Use single and/or double quotes when (in descending order of importance):

1) The style sheet or style specs used by your school or company specifically require their use in a case such as yours.
2) Your academic discipline has a standard convention that requires their use in specialized cases (and your case is one of these).
3) You are an ordinary writer and you:
a) are using U.S. Style. In this case, you use double quotes to indicate a directly quoted passage, and single quotes to indicate a direct quote within the first direct quote. Within those single quotes, if there is another direct quote, you use double quotes again. If you have even more direct quotes within your direct quotes, then for God's sake consider rewriting your passage. Or else just continue alternating nested single and double quotes. Place the punctuation that goes with the quote inside the pair of quotations that belongs to it.
b) are using U.K. style. In this case, do as specified in a) except for single, read double, and for double, read single. Place the punctuation that goes with the quote outside the pair of quotations that belongs to it.
c) are using U.S. style and you are setting off a word or symbol as an example, i.e. "This" is a word with four letters, "T", "h", "i", and "s". Set the punctuation outside in this instance ONLY.
d) are using U.K. Style, in which case follow c) except for single, read double. Set punctuation outside quotes in the usual way.

Capitalism originated in the Renaissance. The very first corporations were formed to finance sea voyages. Each company was formed for a single ship voyage and dissolved at the end. Since the ship basically was the company, the usage of "she" for the ship transferred to the company itself. Thus we now have sister, daughter, etc. companies.

It's also usual to think of things that give rise to other things as "mothers" that give rise to children. When the "children" give rise to others in their turn, they become "mothers." Therefore they had to have been "daughters" of the first "mother."