The apostrophe, please read

ugo.santalucia
ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
in The cake stop
The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.

That's it
left the forum March 2023
«13

Comments

  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,024
    There are three a's in your name.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    ugo.santalucia said:

    The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.

    That's it

    aren't you missing a full stop after "it"?

    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,694
    There are few things more fun than someone quoting an absolute rule.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries
    left the forum March 2023
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,024
    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries

    Bit of a glasshouse when it comes to punctuation.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,694
    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    I had to learn English when I was already in my late teens and I don't think I've ever put an apostrophe wrong.
    Most people here are native speakers and educated to A levels or beyond, so I don't understand what is so hard about getting apostrophes right...

    As per rule above, it is really very simple... almost like scoring a penalty...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,655
    Thank's for the tip's, its something I havent thought about to much.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    I think we should adopt the ancient Greek inscription approach:

    NOSPACESBETWEENWORDSNOPUNCTUATIONNOUPPERANDLOWERCASRJUSTASTREAMOFCAPITALLETTERS
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    edited July 2021
    There's a Portuguese novelist... what's his name... Saramago! He doesn't use punctuation
    Not that I expect anyone on here to have read anything other than Harry Potter... ;)
    left the forum March 2023
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    Jezyboy said:

    Thank's for the tip's, its something I havent thought about to much.

    Me to,
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    Or Latin:

    SOME.PUNC.B.L.ABBR.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,865
    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,587
    ugo.santalucia said:

    The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.

    That's it

    Are you sure there should be a comma before the word "and"?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,480
    ugo.santalucia said:

    There's a Portuguese novelist... what's his name... Saramago! He doesn't use punctuation
    Not that I expect anyone on here to have read anything other than Harry Potter... ;)

    I’ve not read Harry Potter.
    Missing anything? 😉
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,694
    Pross said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.

    That's it

    Are you sure there should be a comma before the word "and"?

    Apostrophes are indicated where it can help quick comprehension: in this case, it (correctly) indicates the beginning of a new clause, and not something connected with 'possession'. Or you could just view it as an Oxford/serial comma, in which case it's equally correct.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    Pross said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.

    That's it

    Are you sure there should be a comma before the word "and"?
    I copied and pasted that bit from the online dictionary, so talk to them... ;)
    left the forum March 2023
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,024
    pblakeney said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    There's a Portuguese novelist... what's his name... Saramago! He doesn't use punctuation
    Not that I expect anyone on here to have read anything other than Harry Potter... ;)

    I’ve not read Harry Potter.
    Missing anything? 😉
    Decent enough yarn.
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    ugo.santalucia said:

    I had to learn English when I was already in my late teens and I don't think I've ever put an apostrophe wrong.
    Most people here are native speakers and educated to A levels or beyond, so I don't understand what is so hard about getting apostrophes right...

    As per rule above, it is really very simple... almost like scoring a penalty...

    We're a nation of shop keepers (apparently). Blame it on the Grocers. :)



    The older I get, the better I was.

  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,694
    Incidentally, punctuation was initially introduced to indicate the space in between words when speaking (at a time when most information would have been disseminated by the educated people who could read, and were like musical rests: a comma was one beat, a point (full stop) two beats, and a colon four beats, like crotchet, minim, semibreve rests. It was only in the late 16th century that they took on more formal grammatical purposes.

    https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10023/19905/Rhodes_2019_HLQ_Punctuation_VoR.pdf

    Read David Crystal's 'Making A Point' if punctuation interests you... it's a brilliant book.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,379
    This is the thread for people who find macroeconomics a bit too racy.
  • womack
    womack Posts: 566
    edited July 2021
    ugo.santalucia said:

    I had to learn English when I was already in my late teens and I don't think I've ever put an apostrophe wrong.
    Most people here are native speakers and educated to A levels or beyond, so I don't understand what is so hard about getting apostrophes right..

    Like you I didn't really speak and definitely not write English until leaving school.

    Unlike you I have no clue where to put an apostrophe and to be honest I couldn't give a monkeys'.


  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    veronese68 said:

    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    you try living with a language that has 6 letters.....
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,379
    MattFalle said:

    veronese68 said:

    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    you try living with a language that has 6 letters.....
    Don't the waving arms each count for at least another 3 letters each?
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,865
    First.Aspect said:

    MattFalle said:

    veronese68 said:

    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    you try living with a language that has 6 letters.....
    Don't the waving arms each count for at least another 3 letters each?
    I thought he was referring to Welsh, 6 letters and words that are 172 letters long.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,379
    veronese68 said:

    First.Aspect said:

    MattFalle said:

    veronese68 said:

    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    you try living with a language that has 6 letters.....
    Don't the waving arms each count for at least another 3 letters each?
    I thought he was referring to Welsh, 6 letters and words that are 172 letters long.
    Oh. I'll blame that on it being gin o'clock at the time I sent it.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    First.Aspect said:

    veronese68 said:

    First.Aspect said:

    MattFalle said:

    veronese68 said:

    briantrumpet said:

    ugo.santalucia said:

    the use of apostrophes is getting out of control... it seems that people can't stop themselves from sticking them everywhere, so I thought appropriate to set boundaries


    The French are just as bad. Some of them seem to think that my name is Brian's.

    Mind you, one of the one in English that does annoy me is "panini's". Wrong on more than one level.
    As an Italian Englishman, or an English Italian, it irritate's the phuck out of me.
    you try living with a language that has 6 letters.....
    Don't the waving arms each count for at least another 3 letters each?
    I thought he was referring to Welsh, 6 letters and words that are 172 letters long.
    Oh. I'll blame that on it being gin o'clock at the time I sent it.
    Question about English: in "o'clock", what's the apostrophe replacing? Would it be "on the clock" or what?
    left the forum March 2023
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,379
    Of, I think.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,587
    "Of the" I believe.
  • mrfpb
    mrfpb Posts: 4,569
    Its as a possesive shurly should be it's

    If the language itself is so inconsistent, why bother getting it right?

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