 Poster: A snowHead
|
richmond, I have better things to do with my life than worry about minor punctuation mistakes!
Thought this thread was about blades? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Don;t forget that it's closer to 500 year old english than english is...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
provenjohn, good, and yes, it was and could be again. So far as I can see, what happens is that some berk like me makes an irrelevant post. If the thread has come to the end of it's useful life, a few people take up the irrelevant point and run with it for a while; if not, the irrelevant post is rightly ignored and the original thread keeps going. All part of the fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| richmond wrote: |
| All part of the fun. |
So it is. it's like a conversation in the pub, you can go fro tony bliar to ron jeremy in a surpsisingy short time without anyone really noticing the radical change in direction
at least it's not like the days of yore when the First XV thread vandals over on bikemagic.con would pick a thread at random (amybe even on a completely different site) and just completely hijack it, finding hilariously funny to comment on the hijack. Wouldn;t catch me doing something like, no 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
nbt, indeed not. BTW, you might want to tell your ed that Fowler describes the the use of apostrophe's in plural's thus:
To insert an apostrophe in the plural of an ordinary noun (in contrast with the i's and t's thing) is a fatuous vulgarism ...
There again, you might not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Good news for us bladers the forecast for the next two days in our local paper is snow - dunno how much or where but what the hell - I will be on mountain having a blast
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NBT wrote:
| Quote: |
| So it is. it's like a conversation in the pub |
In that case, I'll have a pint please! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
hey nbt, if you are buying get me one too (or should that be one two .....)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
nbt, thanks. I wouldn't normally at this time, obviously, but since it's Friday ... Actually, I should get provenjohn one for ticking him off about his punctuation in the first place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Anyway, back on topis (ish)
| Quote: |
An apostrophe can also be used to clarify some plurals, especially plurals of short words
• do's and don'ts
• several unpleasant set-to's
• Dot your i's and cross your t's
• three lbw's in three balls.
Note that in dates both 's and s are permissible:
• Were you around in the 60's?
• It's been law since the 1930s.
|
From Chambers
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
It's an interesting question. There are pretty few cases where the plural apostrophe can be justifiably used, but I've seen some ingenious suggestions...
Apple's don't grow on trees.
Referring in this context to Apple computers, the suggestion being that it was acceptable because a) it was the shortened version of an 'Apple computer' and b) it helped to distinguish from the edible kind.
I think a mod is needed to split this off into a separate thread!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I can't believe I'm getting involved in this but the one in don'ts is representing the missing o not the plural surely?
Don't's would be the one with the plural apostrophe in and that just looks silly... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
I'm sticking to my guns. The only one of those examples where an apostrophe may be justified is "i's and t's".
In the first example, shouldn't it be "do's and don't's", for consistency? If not, surely it should be ''i's and ts", since although "ts" looks strange, it cannot be mistaken for anything other than what is intended. "Dos and don'ts" is fine.
I grant that "set-tos" looks odd, but it's clear (and why is the hyphen needed?).
"three lbws in three balls" is perfectly clear; even if it wasn't, inclusion of the full stops, which ought to be there anyway, would resolve the problem; "three l.b.w.s in ...".
"If "1930s" is clear and correct, what's the purpose of the apostrophe in "60's"? If the plural has an apostrophe, how do I indicate the genitive of "60s" (as in "I see that the over 60s' disco ended in a brawl again.")? Presumably thus; 60's'.
Dictionaries tend to reflect, rather than inform, usage. Although language evolves, the (mis)use of unnecessary apostrophes is incorrect and serves no purpose, in the same way that using 'should of' instead of 'should have' and confusing 'borrowed' with 'lent' and 'disinterested' with 'uninterested' are incorrect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
please mr admin extract the plural chat from this thread
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
obelix67, OK, sorry, I promise I'll stop.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
just start a new thread with an appropriate title ................
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
