Hi
I have not been writing for about two years. Or should that be year's. I am confused.
When we were at school, we were taught that the apostrophe is used to show possession or as a replacement for one or more characters.
Ma'am instead of madam.
Don't instead of do not.
Won't instead of will not.
Didn't instead of did not.
My daughter's examination result. Is that for one daughter or for all of them? I am confused.
Clearly, old foggies like me are out of touch with the brave, new world where what matters is getting the message across. Grammar is an inconvenience. Structure is a strait-jacket.
The English language, of course, is dynamic and is getting simplified. For example, many hyphenated words are being written without the hyphens.
Re-organise is not as a common sight (or should that be site?) as it was in my school days. Reorganise is the norm now.
Is simplification the reason for writing DO's and DONT's or PRO's and CON's?
Or even daughter's when you meant to convey the presence of more than one of the little darlings?
Or even to say "Its a tragedy that the airplane crashed." Or should that be "it's"?
Have you recently read any FAQ's?
Have you recently purchased any combo's?
The sad part is that my children are learning the incorrect usage of apostrophes in school and write DO's and DONT's. And don't get corrected for such slips. Sigh. One feels one was unlucky to have studied in an era where, as the saying goes, men were men and a rap on the knuckles with a wooden ruler was a given for the simplest grammatical error.
Happy writing - or happy typing!
I have not been writing for about two years. Or should that be year's. I am confused.
When we were at school, we were taught that the apostrophe is used to show possession or as a replacement for one or more characters.
Ma'am instead of madam.
Don't instead of do not.
Won't instead of will not.
Didn't instead of did not.
My daughter's examination result. Is that for one daughter or for all of them? I am confused.
Clearly, old foggies like me are out of touch with the brave, new world where what matters is getting the message across. Grammar is an inconvenience. Structure is a strait-jacket.
The English language, of course, is dynamic and is getting simplified. For example, many hyphenated words are being written without the hyphens.
Re-organise is not as a common sight (or should that be site?) as it was in my school days. Reorganise is the norm now.
Is simplification the reason for writing DO's and DONT's or PRO's and CON's?
Or even daughter's when you meant to convey the presence of more than one of the little darlings?
Or even to say "Its a tragedy that the airplane crashed." Or should that be "it's"?
Have you recently read any FAQ's?
Have you recently purchased any combo's?
The sad part is that my children are learning the incorrect usage of apostrophes in school and write DO's and DONT's. And don't get corrected for such slips. Sigh. One feels one was unlucky to have studied in an era where, as the saying goes, men were men and a rap on the knuckles with a wooden ruler was a given for the simplest grammatical error.
Happy writing - or happy typing!
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