Forum menu
Apostrophe's
 

[Closed] Apostrophe's

Posts: 50252
Free Member
Topic starter
 
[#8015579]

Am sure this will bring out all the usual accusation's about grammar nazis, but this is different to other post's. A bit.

How can it be that some people manage to get it so wrong in one sentence or post? As in for example, people who manage to type cars and car's, dogs/dog's and so on as the plural of a word.

Getting it consistently wrong is inexcusable, but slightly understandable. Getting it wrong and right is just two wrong's!


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:40 pm
 IHN
Posts: 20127
Full Member
 

don't get me started on [i]panini's[/i]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:44 pm
Posts: 27
Free Member
 

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:45 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

i am constantly baffled by the apostraphe.

but i'm sure i've got a vague idea of what they mean, and i'm keen to try, so i tend to get a bit carried away.

I'm inconsistent because i realise i'm probably getting it wrong, so make sure i get it wrong in lots of different ways - i'm playing a numbers game here, i can't be wrong all the time!

Getting it consistently wrong is inexcusable,

[i]inexcusable[/i]...? really?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:48 pm
Posts: 371
Free Member
 

The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:49 pm
Posts: 6409
Free Member
 

.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:49 pm
Posts: 6409
Free Member
 

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:51 pm
Posts: 15555
Free Member
 

I'm - I am
I've - I have
I's - I is

I's therefore I'm. - I is theerefore I am, innit.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:52 pm
Posts: 35036
Full Member
 

It's not a difficult rule to learn, is it?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 12:59 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've been caught out by spell checkers a few times, especially on phones if you post and don't notice the change. It's also a while since I was at school so some more obscure grammer escapes my memory.

You can usually tell by the whole post if it's a typo or something deserving of the grammer police.

Facebook posts on some Mountain Bike groups make me cringe at times, seen far to many problems with breaks and if someone carnt get there breaks working then I die a little inside.

Language evolves admittedly, but so does stupid unfortunately ๐Ÿ™


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:00 pm
Posts: 11402
Free Member
 

Bitchin' thread!


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:03 pm
 IHN
Posts: 20127
Full Member
 

From the pic up there... there's nothing wrong with [i]Jones's[/i]. Where a word ends with an S, a possessive apostrophe can be used with or without a final S.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:04 pm
Posts: 14536
Free Member
 

Once this issue has been resolved, can we move on to the correct usage of the Oxford comma?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:09 pm
Posts: 6256
Full Member
 

failure breeds failure

I learned how to use them in primary school, as did most, i expect

but with so many example's ๐Ÿ˜‰ seen daily, it's overruled that part of the brain, so spurious ' get typed because spurious ' is becoming the norm.

ban apostrophe's ๐Ÿ˜‰ and then nobody can get them wrong.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:13 pm
Posts: 14707
Free Member
 

WGAF except pedants, and WGAF about their opinion?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:15 pm
 beej
Posts: 4210
Full Member
 

One panino.
Two panini.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:17 pm
Posts: 3747
Free Member
 

Seems to be a problem (with exceptions) limited to anglophones. My students are learning English as a 2nd or 3rd language and they almost never have a problem with it.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:20 pm
 IHN
Posts: 20127
Full Member
 

can we move on to the correct usage of the Oxford comma?

WGAF except pedants, and WGAF about their opinion?

Yeah, let's.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:21 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

and Captial's what about the correct use of Capitals? ๐Ÿ˜€


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:22 pm
Posts: 3143
Full Member
 

On a similar note...

[url=

]"Food Now Been Served"[/url]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:27 pm
Posts: 13349
Free Member
 

z1ppy
It's the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit. So get your shit together.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:50 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Having English as my second language I find I have no problems with using the " ' ". I had it covered nicely on my English lessons. My native language does not use apostrophe, maybe that's why it was easy to understand and learn what does it do?

But reading emails from my native-English work colleagues or clients often rises a solid "WTF?" question in my mind.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:53 pm
Posts: 9136
Full Member
 

It's probably worth explaining how to use an apostrophe with a nice, easy to understand graphic:

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 1:57 pm
Posts: 5842
Full Member
 

WGAF except pedants, and WGAF about their opinion?

People who still care about life, those that haven't given up on living?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:03 pm
Posts: 8904
Free Member
 

I'm inconsistent because i realise i'm probably getting it wrong, so make sure i get it wrong in lots of different ways - i'm playing a numbers game here, i can't be wrong all the time!

Being wrong five times in one sentence says you probably can.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:06 pm
 Nico
Posts: 4
Free Member
 

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:11 pm
Posts: 46081
Free Member
 

According to the office grammar nazi/proof reader, I am one of the worst offenders for poor grammar and spelling.
However, I am able to tell you why an apostrophe should be used.
[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:21 pm
Posts: 31206
Full Member
 

I blame grocer's.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:40 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Mister P - Member

Being wrong five times in one sentence says you probably can.

(genuinely keen to learn) where'd i go wrong?

is that one just there wrong too?


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:41 pm
Posts: 1622
Full Member
 

I assume the numerous wrong apostrophes (not apostrope's) in OP's post are taking the p@ss?! (Post's / posts; wrong's / wrongs; accusation's / accusations)


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:42 pm
 D0NK
Posts: 10677
Full Member
 

(genuinely keen to learn) where'd i go wrong?

is that one just there wrong too?

afaik with contraction you put the ' where the missing letters are so
where d'
might be correct but looks well wrong. <edit> but then I guess it depends whether you're getting rid of the "di" or the "id" of did ๐Ÿ˜‰

I assume the 5 mistakes mister p mentioned were not capitalising "I"


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:51 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I was never really taught correct use of grammar and punctuation. It was just something that some of us picked up. Most of what I know was picked up over a long period of time - some more recently.

Interestingly punctuation and grammar is now a heavy part of a child's English lessons at school. 6-7 year olds are supposed to be able to use an apostrophe correctly for contraction. 7-8 year olds are supposed to be able to use them to show singular and plural possession.

It's and its used to catch me out.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:52 pm
Posts: 12
Free Member
 

I studied language and linguistics at uni and my life is a constant succession of seeing others' grammar mistakes.

Misuse of colons and semicolons causes me pain although so does incorrect use of en and em dashes so I'm a little more grammar Nazi-ey than most!

It's and it's used to catch me out.

Still does apparently! No apostrophe for the possessive as it's a possessive pronoun in itself.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:52 pm
Posts: 294
Free Member
 

Slight digression. I've just been in a meeting where someone said "brought" instead of "bought".

I thought that was just a forum numpty thing, not something that people actually said out loud.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:54 pm
 D0NK
Posts: 10677
Full Member
 

Misuse of colons and semicolons causes me pain
I haven't got the foggiest for semi colons, tbh if I think the sentence is dragging on a bit I'll lob a random ; in there ๐Ÿ˜‰
afaik colons are for starting a list, dunno what else.... feel free to educate me


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:56 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Should've - should of...

Grrrrr


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 2:57 pm
Posts: 3747
Free Member
 

^^^ "Should have" does sound a bit like you're saying "should of", when it's contracted/unstressed, ie. /'??d?v/ , so maybe forgivable for someone who doesn't write much.

Like, "There's two"; it's grammatically incorrect but it's easier to say than "there are two" so we write it that way too.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 3:20 pm
Posts: 12
Free Member
 

For a start DONK, to introduce a clarification, which i take to be synonymous with "If a sentence is dragging on a bit..." you use a colon.

[i]I ate loads for tea: chicken and mash and carrots and peas and a litre of gravy.[/i]

Colon for a tabulated list.

Colon before a direct quotation where the quotation clarifies the point.

[i]She said the last thing I wanted to her: 'tomorrow we start the diet'.[/i]

An introductory line before more than three lines of quoted text.

[i]My favourite toast must be this:

blah blah blah
something Shakespearean
thus unto all ye
[/i]

You can use a semicolon to join two clauses which themselves could stand as complete sentences. Usually used to balance or contrast the thrust of the two clauses. Usually use a comma before a conjunction except before the following which should be preceeded by a colon:

however
therefore
meanwhile
also
consequently
nevertheless

and a couple of others.

Semicolons ca also be used in lists to mark of items in a list.

tl;dr

If in doubt, use a semicolon and explain it away as a typo.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 3:23 pm
Posts: 45
Free Member
 

From the pic up there... there's nothing wrong with Jones's. Where a word ends with an S, a possessive apostrophe can be used with or without a final S.

Well it's betterer to include the s if it's pronounced as it is here, if not pronounced then it's best left out.

The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.

Arf.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 3:28 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

D0NK - Member

I assume the 5 mistakes mister p mentioned were not capitalising "I"

pfft, is that all? i'm a busy man, i haven't got time for that kind of flamboyance...


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 3:54 pm
 DezB
Posts: 54367
Free Member
 

[i]Usually use a comma before a conjunction, except before the following, which should be preceeded by a colon[/i]

Is how Id right that.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 4:06 pm
Posts: 311
Full Member
 

"beej - Member

One panino.
Two panini. "

Is it not

One Paninus
Two Panini?

๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 4:28 pm
Posts: 12
Free Member
 

@Dez ๐Ÿ™‚ true


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 4:32 pm
Posts: 31206
Full Member
 

Is it not

One Paninus
Two Panini?

But it's [url= http://journals.cambridge.org/repo_A891oVFh ]Italian[/url], not Latin.

Besides, no one wants to eat something that sounds suspiciously like a cross between penis and anus!


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 4:47 pm
Posts: 18028
Full Member
 

The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.

It should be easy to see.


 
Posted : 24/08/2016 8:50 pm
Page 1 / 2