Semantics, lexigraphy, syntax, spelling, grammar...

[rstevenson]

Tony, you need to go back to the person that taught you English, and demand a refund. Or at least a refund proportional to the value of the correct use of the apostrophe -- perhaps, let's say, 2% or so.

You demand we show you "US schools English books" (not Canadian? or Australian? or British?) to prove we're right. Why not turn the tables and show us your source to prove we're wrong? Really. I want to see your source. Right now. ... I'm waiting ... ... .

Rob

[owlice]

Tony,

I advise you to take Rob's advice, because continuing on the path you are on will get you banned, as you are looking more and more like a troll.

Owlice

[KayFlyte]

Tony, you psuedomarginal twit,

You're wrong. Admit it. Incidently, people are hanged, pictures are hung. And a painting and a picture are not the same thing, though both are hung on walls.

[geckzilla]

Ok Mr. Mastrullo, here's the page on apostrophes from Steps in Composition (seventh edition) by Troyka and Nudelman, published by Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-651985-7
Make sure you click it to see the legible, full size version.

Click to view full size image

Your turn.

[NoelC]

at the end of the day, if the truth is equal to 5, then 5 it was, 5 it is and 5 it will be.

The APOD's wording is correct. The readers' knowledge has been expressed in the many posts above.

The Cat's Eye refers unambiguously to the Eye possessed by a singular cosmic Cat.

http://www.eng-lang.co.uk/apostrophes.htm

Eye of the Cat.

There is your 5 and your 5 it was, is, and shall be (until someone, probably a "musician", changes the English language).

Perhaps you were thinking about it, its, and it's, which follow an exception to the rule to keep the possessive "its" from being confused with the contraction of "it is".

Vulcans don't lie. Not even evil vulcans.

-Noel

[Chris Peterson]

Perhaps you were thinking about it, its, and it's, which follow an exception to the rule to keep the possessive "its" from being confused with the contraction of "it is".l

It nicely works out that way, but that isn't the grammatical reasoning. "Its" isn't an exception at all. The rule in English is that the singular possessive of (most) ordinary nouns is produced with an apostrophe and an "s", but this rule doesn't apply to pronouns. That's why "its" the pronoun has no apostrophe, just as is the case for "theirs", "hers", "ours" and similar pronouns. The lack of apostrophes in possessive pronouns isn't intended to prevent confusion with possible contractions, it just reflects the developmental history of English.

[NoelC]

Fair enough; thank you for the correction. I don't profess to know much about the history; I jus' tries to get them runes typed as right as I can.

-Noel

[islader2]

Neufer, I am dissapointed that you did not point out to "ROSE'" the difference between "nauseas" and "nauseated" or "nauseous". (You do is best.) While I have your attention, please archive the fact that I hereby renounce my ownership of the copywright to the phrase, videlicet: if you do not like it, come back tomorrow {end entry}. It is a great honor to have DISCUSS adopt the phrase as its mantra; thus, have it for all to share--in wiki spirit. Thanx.

[Rose]

Neufer, I am dissapointed that you did not point out to "ROSE'" the difference between "nauseas" and "nauseated" or "nauseous". (You do is best.) While I have your attention, please archive the fact that I hereby renounce my ownership of the copywright to the phrase, videlicet: if you do not like it, come back tomorrow {end entry}. It is a great honor to have DISCUSS adopt the phrase as its mantra; thus, have it for all to share--in wiki spirit. Thanx.

Perhaps I should have said "Regurgitate"..........get a life and yes, Thanx - isn't that misspelled too?

Rose

[geckzilla]

Ok, well now we have an official place to put any discussions on various uses of the English language.

[NoelC]

Ok, well now we have an official place to put any discussions on various uses of the English language.

In other words, "trash thread".

-Noel

[geckzilla]

That's too short for this thread. Get out your thesaurus. It's an amalgamation of emotional discourse about grammar.

[BMAONE23]

Perhaps you could expand "Grammar" to read "proper post modern verbal etiquette"