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Resource for proper use of apostrophes in English
Thread poster: Christina Gisselberg Skaskiw (X)
Oliver Walter
Oliver Walter  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:27
German to English
+ ...
Simple rules Dec 12, 2010

Even on the website of the Apostrophe Protection Society, the rules are not stated as clearly as I think they could be.
1. The apostrophe is used to mark where letters (1 or more) have been omitted: e.g. "it's" is an abbreviated form of "it is" or of "it has"; a road sign near here indicates a place which it calls "Rick'worth" - short for Richmansworth.
2. The apostrophe indicates the possessive of a noun (i.e. not a pronoun) and is placed after the word that names what is con... See more
Even on the website of the Apostrophe Protection Society, the rules are not stated as clearly as I think they could be.
1. The apostrophe is used to mark where letters (1 or more) have been omitted: e.g. "it's" is an abbreviated form of "it is" or of "it has"; a road sign near here indicates a place which it calls "Rick'worth" - short for Richmansworth.
2. The apostrophe indicates the possessive of a noun (i.e. not a pronoun) and is placed after the word that names what is considered to be doing the possessing: e.g. Dogs' noses are very sensitive. (i.e. the noses of dogs); the greengrocer's apostrophe is well known (the apostrophe of the greengrocer); the greengrocers' apostrophe would be correct if it meant the apostrophe of the greengrocers.

Oliver ▲ Collapse
 
Rachel Fell
Rachel Fell  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:27
French to English
+ ...
Comma Dec 12, 2010

Tom in London wrote:

Recommended reading: Lynne Truss "Eats shoots and leaves".

[Edited at 2010-12-12 18:51 GMT]

Don't you mean "Eats, shoots and leaves"?

[Edited at 2010-12-12 23:27 GMT]

Handily, you can look inside at e.g. the title page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eats-shoots-leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1861976127/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292246372&sr=1-2

[Edited at 2010-12-13 13:32 GMT]

[Edited at 2010-12-13 13:33 GMT]
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:27
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Non c'è Dec 13, 2010

Rachel Fell wrote:

Tom in London wrote:

Recommended reading: Lynne Truss "Eats shoots and leaves".

[Edited at 2010-12-12 18:51 GMT]

Don't you mean "Eats, shoots and leaves"?

[Edited at 2010-12-12 23:27 GMT]


No.
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:27
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Ricky Dec 13, 2010

Oliver Walter wrote:

a road sign near here indicates a place which it calls "Rick'worth" - short for Richmansworth.



Rickmansworth, actually
 
Oliver Walter
Oliver Walter  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:27
German to English
+ ...
Rickmansworth Dec 13, 2010

Tom in London wrote:
Oliver Walter wrote:
a road sign near here indicates a place which it calls "Rick'worth" - short for Richmansworth.

Rickmansworth, actually

Yes, perhaps I was wondering how much a Richmansworth! ...and I can't correct it now, over 24 hours later.
Oliver
 
George Hopkins
George Hopkins
Local time: 20:27
Swedish to English
Yes tom in london.. Dec 14, 2010

Eats, shoots and leaves is wonderful. If you think you know your onions, read it.

My favourite is the bit about hyphens. Apparently there those who are for and those who are against.
Of course a growing number just don't know...

At school, youngsters learn less and less about more and more and in the end they know nothing about useless things such as apostrophes, apostates, hyphens and wotnots.
But a lot of them know how to run my computer for me.
 
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Resource for proper use of apostrophes in English







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