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[jwk94]

Singular words ending with an 's'
James -> James's (belonging to James)
Francis -> Francis's (belonging to Francis)
Charles -> Charles's (belonging to Charles)

That's not right is it?

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I'd like to propose that we contract the strangely formatted GAFfer to just GAF'r; I don't know, I just always feel weird typing that, but would love to be able to use the denotation.

Nice thread though, thanks for the reminder!

 

[Can Crusher]

I do find myself nauseated.

Was you doing reading's in the stores's table's?

 

[Pickles Spill]

That's not right is it?

I believe you can do that.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

That will be $80,000 please.

I'll be sure to find you a real nice University to teach at.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

I'd like to propose that we contract the strangely formatted GAFfer to just GAF'r; I don't know, I just always feel weird typing that, but would love to be able to use the denotation.

Nice thread though, thanks for the reminder!

I like gaffer for the second use listed here, though. In my head, we're all just old men bitching about various irrelevancies.

 

[terrisus]

That's not right is it?

It's actually a bit more complex than that - there are a whole bunch of rules related to words that end with an 's' or an 's' sound, and it varies depending on the guidelines one is following.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I like gaffer for the second use listed here, though. In my head, we're all just old men bitching about various irrelevancies.

Haha, I've even thought about using that format but it still feels off because of its implications. I also think of electricians. The old man definition could work in a way, but I'd hate to lose the 'GAF' formatting.

 

[LurkerPrime]

There are too many rules, let language be free from tyranny!
Great thread.

I'd like to propose that we contract the strangely formatted GAFfer to just GAF'r; I don't know, I just always feel weird typing that, but would love to be able to use the denotation.

Nice thread though, thanks for the reminder!

I don't know if GAF'r is an improvement... Oh well, have at it! Let's see if it sticks.

 

[terrisus]

There are too many rules, let language be free from tyranny!

Language shall set us free from tyranny!

Or something like that.
It sounds like something someone might have said at some point.

 

[Why would you do that?]

I like making my own contractions, like

he is not -> he's not or he isn't -> he'sn't

or

She did not -> She'dn't


Silly stuff aside, I am glad that my intuition about the correct form of shortened years (like the '80s) was correct, that like contractions, the apostrophe replaces the missing numbers.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

There are too many rules, let language be free from tyranny!
Great thread.



I don't know if GAF'r is an improvement... Oh well, have at it! Let's see if it sticks.

Probably not, I just like how it looks better. GAFfer just looks weird as hell to me.

 

[terrisus]

I like making my own contractions, like

he is not -> he's not or he isn't -> he'sn't

or

She did not -> She'dn't

Yeah, double contractions kind of seem like something that could have happened at some point.
They don't really seem to flow well spoken though.

 

[DBT85]

For all intensive purposes, Im inclined to agree with you're hypothesis. They're are some out their who will not; however.

You are making my brain itch.

 

[terrisus]

Oh yeah, another random tidbit:

In general, to make a word ending with a 'y' plural, remove the 'y' and and "ies"
puppy -> puppies
kitty -> kitties

Writing "puppy's" or "kitty's" would mean something belonging to a single puppy or kitty. For example:
The puppy's collar
The kitty's toy

 

[RoadHazard]

First off, just as a preface to this thread, quotations around a single symbol are apostrophes. So, while you would say, for instance, an "apostrophe," you would say an 's.'

Actually, apostrophes and single quotation marks are technically two different things, with different uses. An apostrophe shouldn't really be used to quote a character like that, it's not what it's for. But of course it's done all the time. And saying that you should use apostrophes (or really single quotation marks) around single characters, is that really a thing in normal writing? It's done in programming and such, but other than that I don't think there's such a rule. Single quotation marks are rather used to quote something within another quote (which is surrounded by double quotation marks). So this piece of your lesson on apostrophes is incorrect, as far as I am concerned. Good work otherwise!

(On another note, I personally also hate it when punctuation is placed inside a quotation when it doesn't actually belong to what's being quoted, like your comma after "apostrophe". I know that's how you do it in the US, but in my opinion it's simply wrong. That comma is part of the outside sentence structure, not the quotation, so why is it inside it? Why is the comma being quoted? Sense it makes not.)

 

[DrSlek]

Highly related
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

Tangentially related
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

 

[Tesseract]

all right is always two words.

also:

i eat pizza everyday. incorrect
i eat pizza every day. correct

and please stop using dem capital letters, you aminals.

 

[terrisus]

(On another note, I personally also hate it when punctuation is placed inside a quotation when it doesn't actually belong to what's being quoted, like your comma after "apostrophe". I know that's how you do it in the US, but in my opinion it's simply wrong. That comma is part of the outside sentence structure, not the quotation, so why is it inside it? Why is the comma being quoted? Sense it makes not.)

I personally feel the same way as you on that, but, that is the APA guideline on it, so that's what I'm stuck doing here.

Also, regarding apostrophes versus single quotation marks, you're right on that of course, but they look the same on most boards, so I figured no point to overloading people with information.

 

[rocketskates]

I totally read this in Sofia Vergara's voice.

Hahaha

 

[terrisus]

all right is always two words.

also:

i eat pizza everyday. incorrect
i eat pizza every day. correct

and please stop using dem capital letters, you aminals.

Anything that involves eating pizza is always correct.

But, yes, that is another little annoyance that people do.

 

[Curtisaur]

I think you mean up-commas.

 

[Bandit1]

I like making my own contractions, like

he is not -> he's not or he isn't -> he'sn't

or

She did not -> She'dn't

I wouldn't've e'er thought o' that.

Spoiler

Actually I do it e'ry day.

But the OP is pretty useful, I learned some things.

 

[MIMIC]

Relating back to the fact that the fact that apostrophes in contractions replace letters (or numbers), the following are correct:
'80s (the decade of the 1980s)
'90s (the decade of the 1990s)

The following does not refer to a decade:
90's (this would mean something belonging to "90." For instance, "90's always seems like ages away - but I'm a 3rd of the way there already.")

Another area to note is apostrophe use with acronyms. You only need to use an apostrophe if you are using possessive. For instance:
CDs (more than one CD)
CD's (belonging to the CD)
CDs' (belonging to a set of CDs)

Maybe this is just exclusive to legal writing, but I literally just got done taking my Research & Writing exam, and they said that adding apostrophes to form the plural of numbers, letters, symbols, etc. is the exception.

"She got mostly B's on her report card" would be correct for them.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

James' is also acceptable for James's.

 

[MTE]

I like making my own contractions, like

he is not -> he's not or he isn't -> he'sn't

or

She did not -> She'dn't


Silly stuff aside, I am glad that my intuition about the correct form of shortened years (like the '80s) was correct, that like contractions, the apostrophe replaces the missing numbers.

I love double contractions, because many are actually said.

e.g.: Shouldn't've

I've seen a few in literature, even.

 

[terrisus]

Maybe this is just exclusive to legal writing, but I literally just got done taking my Research & Writing exam, and they said that adding apostrophes to form the plural of numbers, letters, symbols, etc. is the exception.

"She got mostly B's on her report card" would be correct for them.

That's certainly quite possible, and I would definitely defer to you on that if you just got done with that. And it's certainly possible that's something that could vary as well.

 

[catmincer]

James' is also acceptable for James's.

This is the only acceptable way imo. I die a little inside when I see James's.

 

[terrisus]

This is the only acceptable way imo. I die a little inside when I see James's.

Well, a follow-up question to be that would be how would you write the possessive of multiple people named James?

 

[Log4Girlz]

Apostrophes sounds like a gods name

 

[terrisus]

Apostrophes sounds like a gods name

And that sentence is missing an apostrophe as well.

 

[MIMIC]

That's certainly quite possible, and I would definitely defer to you on that if you just got done with that. And it's certainly possible that's something that could vary as well.

Thank God this wasn't on the test, but I'm reading my notes and there's an exception to the exception (lol): years.

So "1990s" would be right. But they don't say whether the abbreviation of the year applies (90s) so.....I dunno. lol

 

[terrisus]

Thank God this wasn't on the test, but I'm reading my notes and there's an exception to the exception (lol): years.

So "1990s" would be right. But they don't say whether the abbreviation of the year applies (90s) so.....I dunno. lol

Isn't English grammar fun?!

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

For all intensive purposes, Im inclined to agree with you're hypothesis. They're are some out their who will not; however.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

When pluralizing numbers, letters, or symbols, you only have to apostrophize them when they'd otherwise be illegible.

Example: 1990s works because it is legible.

e.g.s and ps & qs don't work since they aren't legible. You'd use apostrophes there (e.g.'s and p's & q's).

 

[terrisus]

apostrophize

I like that word. I should use it more often.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

I like that word. I should use it more often.

I didn't even know it was a word until I looked it up to be sure. I love it.

 

[oneils]

please someone recommend me a good learning book in grammer

 

[terrisus]

I didn't even know it was a word until I looked it up to be sure. I love it.

I was a very boring child - I used to sit around reading the dictionary.
Needless to say, though, I haven't kept up that practice since getting the internet and having more interesting things to do.

 

[Bladenic]

Oh wow I thought it was always James' regardless. Thanks.

 

[OverBlood 3]

i could care lesser.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

I was a very boring child - I used to sit around reading the dictionary.
Needless to say, though, I haven't kept up that practice since getting the internet and having more interesting things to do.

I never read as a child (still don't), so the Internet inadvertently served as a dictionary and grammar handbook. After probably a decade of being online, I've picked up on proper spelling, syntax, formatting, etc. Learned new words. It's lovely, but I really wish I'd gotten into reading as a kid.

 

[terrisus]

I never read as a child (still don't), so the Internet inadvertently served as a dictionary and grammar handbook. After probably a decade of being online, I've picked up on proper spelling, syntax, formatting, etc. Learned new words. It's lovely, but I really wish I'd gotten into reading as a kid.

Yeah, I read a ton when I was younger. I don't read nearly as much now.
Got the internet in 1996, and started playing MUDs (which are entirely text-based) a year or so later, so, my spelling, grammar, syntax, and formatting had to get up to speed pretty fast there.

please someone recommend me a good learning book in grammer

I don't know about grammer books, but you could try searching around for grammar books.

Spoiler

Seriously though, you could always give Elements of Style a shot. My wife had used that in one of her classes, and it seemed alright.

 

[Draft]

Hah! Today I wrote a post that included the phrase, "the game's most tense scene," or something similar. And almost immediately upon hitting submit reply, I thought, "that's not right." A little searching reveals that it may be technically correct, but it is stylistically undesirable to use the possessive apostrophe with non-living nouns. Something about non-living things lacking the capability to posess, with exceptions for corporations, since they are people, my friend. Better to write, "the most tense scene of the game."

#themoreyouknow

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

Hah! Today I wrote a post that included the phrase, "the game's most tense scene," or something similar. And almost immediately upon hitting submit reply, I thought, "that's not right." A little searching reveals that it may be technically correct, but it is stylistically undesirable to use the possessive apostrophe with non-living nouns. Something about non-living things lacking the capability to posess, with exceptions for corporations, since they are people, my friend. Better to write, "the most tense scene of the game."

#themoreyouknow

There are some exceptions to this, like when showing possession for periods of time (e.g. today's date).

This is a good tip, though! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[lilraylewis]

This is the only acceptable way imo. I die a little inside when I see James's.

Oh wow I thought it was always James' regardless. Thanks.

Always a lot of variation on this. Some say always use the 's while others say always use just the ', and then these people add little provisos and exceptions.

I prefer to just write it like you would say it, which I think is the rule given inStrunk & White.

So you would write "James's" or "Charles's" but not "The Richards's," which is just awkward. Just write "The Richards'."

 

[terrisus]

It's kind of off the topic, but, living in America but following EPL Football, it always catches me off-guard how in England (and probably elsewhere) it's the fashion to refer to companies/groups/teams/etc. as plural whereas in the US they're generally singular.

For instance, in the US (at least how I generally see it - not that it's necessarily the only correct way), it would be "Nintendo is making some awesome games," whereas elsewhere it would be "Nintendo are making some awesome games."

 

[Barkley's Justice]

Dope. GOOD LOOKS

 

[Dark Octave]

For all intensive purposes, Im inclined to agree with you're hypothesis. They're are some out their who will not; however.

lol

 

[RoadHazard]

Well, a follow-up question to be that would be how would you write the possessive of multiple people named James?

One James, many Jameses? So, "this is James' thing", and "these are the seven Jameses' things"?

But I really think that, logically, it should be "James's". Because the "s" at the end of "James" doesn't indicate plural (such as in "boys"), which is when you'd usually do the single apostrophe at the end ("these are the boys' toys"), it's just the last letter of his name. So if you write "this is James' toy" it feels like you're just making an exception for aesthetic purposes (just like those damn punctuation marks inside quotations that should really be outside), and I prefer logic and consistency.