Luxx, The Times supplement

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atnits
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by atnits »

asqwerth wrote:
atnits wrote:
asqwerth wrote:
I get more irritated by the wrong use of apostrophes : "its" vs "it's", wrongly using it in the plural form of words, people confusing "your" and "you're", "they're" and "their". Contractions, people, apostrophes are for contractions!
What are your thoughts on apostrophes in numbers and dates, such as:

100's of items now on sale!

It is a 1940's house.

Actually, I think those are examples of the apostrophe being wrongly used in the plural form of words.

When you write "100's of items", you actually mean "hundreds of items", meaning you are using the plural of "hundred". So it should be "100s of items".

As for "1940's house", it should be "1940s house", because what you are referring to is a house built in the decade starting with the year 1940. In other words, "This house was built in the Forties" - plural! *

The "apostrophe-s" tag ('s) is what you stick at the end of a noun to show that something belongs to that noun.

Examples:

1. John's watch - the watch belongs to John
2. the bee's knees - the knees of the bee (haha)
3. "Don't touch that bag! It's John's!" Here, "It's" = contraction of "It is", and "John's" means the bag belongs to John.

[/explanation mode off]


* If you write that using numerals, it would be "This house was built in the '40s ", where the apostrophe before the "40" is to show that it's a contraction of "1940s".

Another example: the sitcom called "That '70s Show" (see where the apostrophe is, and where it isn't?)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165598/
Good stuff; I hoped you'd get stuck into those examples! :D
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by lloyd_m »

There are some exceptions to this, however.
If you are referring to the visitors book, it does not have an apostrophe because it is a book for the benefit of the visitors or a book for the visitors to use, rather than belonging to them. Other examples are the Mens Room or the peoples choice.
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I have seen Visitors Book and Visitors' Book and would not presume to say that either was incorrect.

I disagree with the other two, however; since "men" and "people" are the plural forms per se, adding a genitive -s to denote possession would, I fear, require an apostrophe.
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by robinbarke »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote:I have seen Visitors Book and Visitors' Book and would not presume to say that either was incorrect.

I disagree with the other two, however; since "men" and "people" are the plural forms per se, adding a genitive -s to denote possession would, I fear, require an apostrophe.
I think strictly speaking you are correct Steve. Over the last few years the punctuation has been left off official signs much to the consternation of those who care about these things. In this village an official sign "Donkeys Meadow" is bereft of punctuation despite the objections of learned residents!

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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Mortis »

While I mostly agree with the sentiment in this thread (particularly with respect to "literally"), I must take issue with those objecting to the use of apostrophes for plurals. I do it regularly, and correctly, when referring to single digits or letters.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by lloyd_m »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote:I have seen Visitors Book and Visitors' Book and would not presume to say that either was incorrect.

I disagree with the other two, however; since "men" and "people" are the plural forms per se, adding a genitive -s to denote possession would, I fear, require an apostrophe.
No, I disagree. The use of apostrophes are for possession only. Unless the room belongs to the men or the choice belongs to the people then the apostrophe is not correct.
Steve's watch : the watch belonging to Steve.
Steves watch : The shift that Steve is allotted (as in night shift). (The spell checker didn't like this, but that is wrong as well).
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by welshlad »

lloyd_m wrote:
Amor Vincit Omnia wrote:I have seen Visitors Book and Visitors' Book and would not presume to say that either was incorrect.

I disagree with the other two, however; since "men" and "people" are the plural forms per se, adding a genitive -s to denote possession would, I fear, require an apostrophe.
No, I disagree. The use of apostrophes are for possession only. Unless the room belongs to the men or the choice belongs to the people then the apostrophe is not correct.
Steve's watch : the watch belonging to Steve.
Steves watch : The shift that Steve is allotted (as in night shift). (The spell checker didn't like this, but that is wrong as well).
Both of those examples are "Steve's watch".

To help clarify your other example, there is no such word as "mens" so that can't be right. Try using it in scrabble and see how you get on! ;)
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by atnits »

Mortis wrote:While I mostly agree with the sentiment in this thread (particularly with respect to "literally"), I must take issue with those objecting to the use of apostrophes for plurals. I do it regularly, and correctly, when referring to single digits or letters.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe
Whilst not incorrect, I try to avoid that use of the apostrophe. It just seems inelegant somehow. :?
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

welshlad wrote:Both of those examples are "Steve's watch".

To help clarify your other example, there is no such word as "mens" so that can't be right. Try using it in scrabble and see how you get on! ;)
Possessive genitives (including the clitic -'s and the case-marking final apostrophe), can express a relationship that is not limited strictly to possession in the sense of ownership; thus the men's room belongs to the men by association rather than being a specific group's actual property.

As our friend points out, the word "mens" does not exist. If he and I were together, we could be described as a pair of Steves, the only correct usage of that particular word.
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Kip »

I thought that men was the plural of man. :?
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

You are right, of course, Kip. :D

The following is an extremely well-known joke that has been doing the rounds for many years:
European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas it on to oza pepl
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by Helix Von Smelix »

Shoot me now! :shock:
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by paw3001 »

So what about the infamous Oxford comma?
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by alphajet »

Smart asses ass's arses arse's ah ballsball's bollox. :wave:
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Re: Luxx, The Times supplement

Post by androo »

What I want to know is


Were there any nice pictures Robin as I was unable to get a copy of the Times.
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