Apostrophe crimes

[jdaw1]

The only other usage of that form that I have seen is a contraction not a possessive.

You might even remember that the dot-under-superscript has been echoed on placemats.

[djewesbury]

So is that yes for a contraction but no for a possessive?

Exactly. That's a pretty common, albeit archaic abbreviation of 'brothers'. The other one is just a typographic incompetence.

[jdaw1]

pretty common, albeit archaic

Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.

I’m trying ‟Dow 1878: pretty common, albeit archaic”, and wishing the world were different.

[djewesbury]

pretty common, albeit archaic

Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.

I’m trying ‟Dow 1878: pretty common, albeit archaic”, and wishing the world were different.

I think you answered your own question.

[jdaw1]

Err, that it is an oxymoron?

[djewesbury]

Err, that it is an oxymoron?

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.

[djewesbury]

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.

[jdaw1]

pretty common, albeit archaic

Please explain how these two concepts can best be fitted together.

"ye olde"

Good explanation: thank you.

[djewesbury]

[djewesbury]

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.

[DRT]

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.

[jdaw1]

I have conceded ye olde point, and hereby do so again. Good explanation.

[jdaw1]

Which do people prefer, and why?
• if ! this desideratum would be automatically satisfied
• if ! this desideratum would automatically be satisfied

[djewesbury]

Please give the whole sentence. Is there a full stop following or a further ellipsis? It makes a difference.

[jdaw1]

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

[djewesbury]

The second. Just sounds better to my ear, irrelevant /non-existent grammatical rules notwithstanding.

[jdaw1]

The second. Just sounds better to my ear, irrelevant /non-existent grammatical rules notwithstanding.

I was hesitating. You have decided it.

[PhilW]

Or perhaps "would be satisfied automatically" to avoid the split.

[djewesbury]

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.

[Glenn E.]

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.

[djewesbury]

[jdaw1]

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.

[djewesbury]

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.

The line break is mine.

[jdaw1]

The line break is mine.

That strengthens the prosecution’s case.

Have you written to RAH drawing his attention to your accusation, and thereby giving him an opportunity to respond?

[djewesbury]

The line break is mine.

That strengthens the prosecution’s case.

Have you written to RAH drawing his attention to your accusation, and thereby giving him an opportunity to respond?

I have now.
(A PM has been sent to the accused, inviting response.)