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."
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.
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!
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'".
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.
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it's not possessive.
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the 1980's
or
on people's mailboxes: the Smith's
argh!
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i bought some CDs today.
--
i can't find the CD's cover.
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Like you'd write there are two A's in the word 'Annual' and not two As.
I think it's CD's.
:P
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http://tranchant.plus.com/notes/apostrophe
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'Cause if you are I will google a site that indicates I am correct.
:D
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The New York Times seems to write CD's... who's Mark again?
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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.
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hmmm, maybe not, now that i look at it.
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It's my damn name and I don't know how to do the plural possessive!
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Steeveses' Car: two families sharing ownership of one car.
:)
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(Which I've now decided to stop harping on as one of my Buddhist resolutions.)
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I was recently reminded of the "fewer" vs "less" rule. ;-)
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According to the RIAA, you don't own the CDs. You're mearly licensing the performance contained therein.
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Touché!
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wait a minute...
Re: wait a minute...
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