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“Let's” vs. “lets”: which is correct?

  1. Lets now see how it can be done.

  2. Let's now see how it can be done.

Is sentence 1 wrong? If so, why? I have read the answers to "Let's" vs. "lets": which is correct? but they don't seem to discuss the case when this word comes at the start of a sentence. It says you can test it by replacing "Let's/Lets" with "Let us" and seeing if the sentence still makes sense, but "Let us now see how it can be done" sounds odd to me.

Even if "Let's" is correct here, is there any context where it would be correct to use "Lets" without an apostrophe at the start of a sentence?

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ajy
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  • Can we reopen this question? I would like to post an answer to it. The specific sentences are different, and the answer is, in Mark's words, the opposite from those at the linked question. – herisson May 20 '16 at 21:22
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    "Lets you down easy, does he?" – Sven Yargs May 20 '16 at 22:49

1 Answers1

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Yes, 2 is correct.

This is effectively a duplicate of “Let's” vs. “lets”: which is correct? except with the opposite right answer.

1 could be "correct" (but not a real sentence) if in context it means "(subject, person or object) now lets see how it can be done.", but notice I had to swap "now" and "lets" for even that implied sentence.

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Mark Hurd
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    your statement implies that 1 is "a little" correct- but it's not at all. Lets without the apostrophe is used in sentences like: `My dad lets me walk to the store all by myself" but is never used when the contraction for Let us is needed. – Jim Mar 19 '12 at 06:47
  • @Jim Changed. I was going to write more but then thought "this has to be a duplicate..." – Mark Hurd Mar 19 '12 at 06:51
  • I know 2 is correct. So 1 is wrong? I have seen some people using it. – ajy Mar 19 '12 at 06:56
  • Yes, 1 is wrong, 2 is correct. Just because some people use something incorrectly doesn't make it less incorrect (although one could argue that words like thru came into being that way...). – Amos M. Carpenter Mar 19 '12 at 07:24
  • @ajy: Let's be honest: you have to know the exact context to determine whether or not the use of lets is correct. I'm glad this forum lets us clarify these issues. – J.R. Mar 19 '12 at 07:32
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    Lets just say its the convention to insert the apostrophe into the first and fourth words of this sentence, but that conventions can change. The apostrophe was introduced into English relatively late in the languages development, and only so that printers could show that a letter was missing. Its often not needed at all, as this comment may show. – Barrie England Mar 19 '12 at 07:35
  • @BarrieEngland: touché. :^) ur right ~ languages evolve & devolve. interesting pt – J.R. Mar 19 '12 at 08:34
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    @BarrieEngland No, your comments are wrong; readable and understandable, but wrong. :-) Yes, English changes, but at this stage punctuation still matters. – Mark Hurd Mar 19 '12 at 10:07
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    @BarrieEngland: I agree with Mark - it's more than a "convention", it's a rule, and not following it is wrong. Jsut becuase you can read this sentnece doesnt mkae it rihgt. ;-) – Amos M. Carpenter Mar 20 '12 at 02:12