Require Grammar SS

[c9]

"I own over 300 CDs" or "I own over 300 CD's" ?

Explain your answer.

Comments

[jdhorner.livejournal.com]

CDs for the love of god.

it's not possessive.

[c9.livejournal.com]

I agree of course, just doing a survey. I erase apostrophes on whiteboards and blackboards at work, restuarants and bars. People look at me funny. Then I say "Vinny, stop looking at me funny."

[jdhorner.livejournal.com]

it's like saying

the 1980's

or

on people's mailboxes: the Smith's

argh!

[rebelprince26.livejournal.com]

i know! god. it's one of my biggest pet peeves!

[ex-thrasymac191.livejournal.com]

Those are called greengrocers' apostrophes.

[jdhorner.livejournal.com]

of course, we could also argue context:

i bought some CDs today.

--

i can't find the CD's cover.

[c9.livejournal.com]

True. You assumed the correct context. I'll update.

[halimattfax.livejournal.com]

But aren't acronyms done the same way as when referring to single letters.

Like you'd write there are two A's in the word 'Annual' and not two As.

I think it's CD's.

:P

[c9.livejournal.com]

You are correct on the letters example, but incorrect on the acronyms.

http://tranchant.plus.com/notes/apostrophe

[halimattfax.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, are you referring me to 'mark's web site' to show me I'm incorrect??

'Cause if you are I will google a site that indicates I am correct.


:D

[c9.livejournal.com]

If you *read* the page, you'll see the topic of acronyms is explained. :)

[halimattfax.livejournal.com]

Well sparknotes (http://www.sparknotes.com/writing/style/topic_21.html) says it can be either way. The Internet is clearly confused.

The New York Times seems to write CD's... who's Mark again?

[c9.livejournal.com]

Well of course it really comes down to that same old argument, prescriptive or descriptive language. What people actually do is correct, it doesn't matter what the dictionary (or the NYT :) does.

For acronyms, I believe the prescriptive answer is that no apostrophe is correct in English, and I find it surprising that the Times would have it otherwise in their style guide. But people do use it both ways, so it really doesn't matter in the real world.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Also, having a fight over how many websites say one answer over another won't get us anywhere. But if it would I would totally win.

[halimattfax.livejournal.com]

LOL

[rebelprince26.livejournal.com]

he is? i would still write two As

hmmm, maybe not, now that i look at it.

[c9.livejournal.com]

I prefer your method of no apostrophe, especially with capital letters. But that is one area where I don't actually know the truly correct usage.

[purplemartini.livejournal.com]

Here's a good one for you. If car belongs to the Steeves family do you write "this is the Steeves' car?" or "this is the Steeves's Car?" or even more rediculously "this is the Steeveses car?"

It's my damn name and I don't know how to do the plural possessive!

[c9.livejournal.com]

Steeves' Car: one family, one car.
Steeveses' Car: two families sharing ownership of one car.

:)

[cap-hill-latte.livejournal.com]

That was actually the question posed in an article of last month's Atlantic. Apparently, the correct answer is "Steeves's" unless the word following it begins with an s". But I think that looks silly, so I vote "Steeves'".

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

I always use "Steeves's". The apostrophe dangling at the end of "Steeves'" makes me nervous.

[heartovmidnight.livejournal.com]

CDs. It isn't CD is ...

[nihilicious.livejournal.com]

CDs. The only time an apostrophe is used in a plural is to avoid clear confusion, such as "A's" and "I's" ("As" and "Is" already being words.)

[ratonil.livejournal.com]

Cds. Cd's implies possession.

[lifein2x3.livejournal.com]

I own more than 300 CDs. "Over" implies a spatial relationship.

[c9.livejournal.com]

LOL - I'll remember that.

[nihilicious.livejournal.com]

Please don't. It's a pretend rule that has no real principle supporting it. It ignored the fact that "over" has a metaphoical sense. Most style manuals have abandoned it.

[c9.livejournal.com]

I was just being polite -- the chances of me remembering it are fairly low.

[nihilicious.livejournal.com]

"Metaphoical" is my own special word, by the way. :)

[cap-hill-latte.livejournal.com]

I bet you still remember the "fewer" v. "less" rule though. People tend to learn more when they're drunk. :-p.

(Which I've now decided to stop harping on as one of my Buddhist resolutions.)

[primary-suspect.livejournal.com]

When did you become Buddhist? Did I miss a posting? I think this is the second time you refer to Buddhism but I never saw the genesis of it.

I was recently reminded of the "fewer" vs "less" rule. ;-)

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Both are wrong.

According to the RIAA, you don't own the CDs. You're mearly licensing the performance contained therein.

[c9.livejournal.com]

"merely"

Touché!

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Smartarse. :)

wait a minute...

[benjidacruick.livejournal.com]

what is a CD? is that a new form of mp3?

Re: wait a minute...

[c9.livejournal.com]

Funniest comment so far.

[adamdavid85.livejournal.com]

Cam, did you read "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" recently by any chance?

[c9.livejournal.com]

I did not, but I intend to one of these days. I love the cover.