When, and more importantly perhaps why, did the word 'free' become a noun, as well as an adjective, verb and adverb? The ink wasted in the now almost universal use of the phrase 'for (sic) free' must be considerable.

Anyone who doubts the need for apostrophes should consider the sentence:

 

"There was no human food in the house and the shops were closed. We were starving, so we ate the dog's."

Without the apostrophe the sentence conveys a decidedly different message.