Apostrophe crimes
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Exactly. That's a pretty common, albeit archaic abbreviation of 'brothers'. The other one is just a typographic incompetence.DRT wrote:So is that yes for a contraction but no for a possessive?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.djewesbury wrote:pretty common, albeit archaic
I’m trying ‟Dow 1878: pretty common, albeit archaic”, and wishing the world were different.
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
I think you answered your own question.jdaw1 wrote:Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.djewesbury wrote:pretty common, albeit archaic
I’m trying ‟Dow 1878: pretty common, albeit archaic”, and wishing the world were different.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Err, that it is an oxymoron?
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Oh, I underestimated you. You find the phrase "common archaism" oxymoronic? I am disappointed. The persistence of this convention in signs etc is reasonably common. It is archaic, however, and only used by modern businesses when they seek to emulate old ones, is my contention. I see no oxymoron.jdaw1 wrote:Err, that it is an oxymoron?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Ye (as in "ye olde") is an archaism, going back to the absence of the Old English dental fricatives thorn and eth from imported German blackface founts in the 15th century.
But it is pretty common.
But it is pretty common.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
jdaw1 wrote:Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.djewesbury wrote:pretty common, albeit archaic
Good explanation: thank you.djewesbury wrote:"ye olde"
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
And of course we should recall that Bros (with superscript s and point beneath) is a contraction that requires no apostrophe and has nothing to do with apostrophising; the s is merely superscripted to make obvious the contraction that is already signalled by the point. So the existence of this form has no bearing on the correctness or otherwise of Writers (etc., see above) Tears.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
JDAW and I have had beer in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Ludgate Circus end of Fleet Street) and can attest that it is Olde. Unfortunately, the new owners did not possess Ye Olde Cellar Books.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
Re: Apostrophe crimes
I have conceded ye olde point, and hereby do so again. Good explanation.
Re: Apostrophe crimes
Which do people prefer, and why?
• if ! this desideratum would be automatically satisfied
• if ! this desideratum would automatically be satisfied
• if ! this desideratum would be automatically satisfied
• if ! this desideratum would automatically be satisfied
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Please give the whole sentence. Is there a full stop following or a further ellipsis? It makes a difference.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Don’t want to quote, but the following is equivalent.
• if the things are red, this desideratum would be automatically satisfied
• if the things are red, this desideratum would automatically be satisfied
• if the things are red, this desideratum would be automatically satisfied
• if the things are red, this desideratum would automatically be satisfied
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
The second. Just sounds better to my ear, irrelevant /non-existent grammatical rules notwithstanding.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
I was hesitating. You have decided it.djewesbury wrote:The second. Just sounds better to my ear, irrelevant /non-existent grammatical rules notwithstanding.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Or perhaps "would be satisfied automatically" to avoid the split.
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
There is no such thing in English as a split infinitive, unless you are the dead headmaster of one of the public schools specified by the Act.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
The former, I think, though it depends on what is happening. The former us more specific to me - red is pertinent to the satisfaction. The latter says to me that red simply allows the satisfaction to take place, but might not otherwise be pertinent.
Glenn Elliott
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
I haven’t seen the context, but it is possible to construe a non-crime.
E.g.:
Title = ‟Understanding a wine”;
Sub-title = ‟journalists rant”, as in, plural noun and verb, as in, a capitalisation crime rather than an apostrophe crime.
But that depends on the context.
E.g.:
Title = ‟Understanding a wine”;
Sub-title = ‟journalists rant”, as in, plural noun and verb, as in, a capitalisation crime rather than an apostrophe crime.
But that depends on the context.
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
The line break is mine.jdaw1 wrote:I haven’t seen the context, but it is possible to construe a non-crime.
E.g.:
Title = ‟Understanding a wine”;
Sub-title = ‟journalists rant”, as in, plural noun and verb, as in, a capitalisation crime rather than an apostrophe crime.
But that depends on the context.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
That strengthens the prosecution’s case.djewesbury wrote:The line break is mine.
Have you written to RAH drawing his attention to your accusation, and thereby giving him an opportunity to respond?
- djewesbury
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Re: Apostrophe crimes
I have now.jdaw1 wrote:That strengthens the prosecution’s case.djewesbury wrote:The line break is mine.
Have you written to RAH drawing his attention to your accusation, and thereby giving him an opportunity to respond?
(A PM has been sent to the accused, inviting response.)
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...