Reply to: The apostrophe ...

[Vito]

It doesn't... Sack it!

Consider it dismissed...I accept that I can no longer programme a quiz on a Spectrum...a sad day indeed!

[Churchill]

IF " " = "A" THEN GOTO "4"

Something like that anyway...if my Spectrum memory serves me right!

It doesn't... Sack it!

[Vito]

Well if I'm reading a CV, any grammatical error gets it binned. If someone can't even follow the simple rules of grammar, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in their attention to detail when it comes to, say, coding syntax.

Agree to some extent...hence why I specialise in Leadership and not in coding!

But even in coding...if everyone just followed the rules then we would never have progressed and the most advanced we would be is:

IF " " = "A" THEN GOTO "4"

Something like that anyway...if my Spectrum memory serves me right!

And if anyone ever reads my CV in such detail that they notice any grammatical errors then clearly my CV is lacking in inspiration...

[sasguru]

I'm really struggling to care...

I mean, who creates the rules in the first place? What makes them so bloody special? They decided that 'i' is before 'e' except after 'c' and we just accept that...why? Why not after 'c'? Whoever it was is taking the p!ss

And more to the point...the purpose of punctuation is to help verbalise something that is written...with a comma most commonly representing a pause...but even that falls on its arse..

So...the following statement is allegedly correct...

My son likes to eat biscuits, crisps and chocolate.

However...if it were to be written as I would say it, it would be as follows:

My son likes to eat biscuits, crisps, and chocolate.

I always use the latter and don't care what people think...I refuse to conform when the dictator gets it wrong...

FFS...I must be bored!

Well if I'm reading a CV, any grammatical error gets it binned. If someone can't even follow the simple rules of grammar, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in their attention to detail when it comes to, say, coding syntax.

[Vito]

I'm really struggling to care...

I mean, who creates the rules in the first place? What makes them so bloody special? They decided that 'i' is before 'e' except after 'c' and we just accept that...why? Why not after 'c'? Whoever it was is taking the p!ss

And more to the point...the purpose of punctuation is to help verbalise something that is written...with a comma most commonly representing a pause...but even that falls on its arse..

So...the following statement is allegedly correct...

My son likes to eat biscuits, crisps and chocolate.

However...if it were to be written as I would say it, it would be as follows:

My son likes to eat biscuits, crisps, and chocolate.

I always use the latter and don't care what people think...I refuse to conform when the dictator gets it wrong...

FFS...I must be bored!

[Zorba]

That is so; but it does not "indicate the plural", it indicates possession.

Surely so.

[wendigo100]

Boy! The boy's buoy really bouyed EO up.

Are you referring to shaunbhoy's boy's buoys? ISTR he has all girls.

[cykophysh39]

whose apostrophe is it anyway?
Who knows?

[Euro-commuter]

Where's the flaw in the example I gave?

There is no flaw in the example. There would be a flaw in your suggesting that the apostrophe indicates the plural. I hop you are not suggesting that?

[Euro-commuter]

Surely it covers the plural owners of plural objects, e.g. 'the students' grant cheques never lasted beyond the end of Freshers' Week'?

That is so; but it does not "indicate the plural", it indicates possession.

[Zorba]

There should be a boys example about buoys, boy that would really buoy me up

Boy, that would be something! The boys' buoys buoy the boys.

[sasguru]

There should be a boys example about buoys, boy that would really buoy me up

Boy! The boy's buoy really bouyed EO up.

[EternalOptimist]

There should be a boys example about buoys, boy that would really buoy me up

[Lucifer Box]

The boy's sharp.

[Paddy]

Ok, what about "the boys' tree-house" i.e. the tree-house belonging to a number of boys as opposed to "the boy's tree-house" denoting the tree-house belonging to a single boy. The apostrophe in the former denotes the possessive plural.

Boys = singular
Boys = plural
Boy's = singular possessive
Boys' = plural possessive

bugger the boys, keep getting it wrong