Eats shoots and leaves

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Mon, 2006-08-21 22:19

As a few of you may know, I have a problem with punctuation that frustrates me daily and can sometimes spoil a book I'm reading because I begin to do my own head in over where apostrophes go and why?

One such bit of text I read tonight read: "The parents' or the children's?"

This may seem like child's play to you, but not to me. I can't understand why the parents apostrophe went whre it did, but the childrens elsewhere.

So I've got the book, Eats shoots and leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Hardcover) by Lynne Truss.

Will this help me overcome my frustration. Is it a recommended book for my embarassing problem?

Mon, 2006-08-21 22:41

cath_carr

The parents' because there are two of them and so the parent words is plural and ends in S. If you were talking of only ONE parent, and it ends in t, you would write parent's. Talking of two and not one, you could say parents's, just the same as children's, but as children ends in N and not S, it keep the apostrophe in the place it does. Its just an aesthetic thing really - anything that ends in S, has the option of using the far apostrophe. And if you make sense of that garbled mess, well done.

Tue, 2006-08-22 14:31

yan

That's great. Anything that ends in S. Thanks! ;) It aint law if it aint laminated!

There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett

Wed, 2006-08-23 23:13

Dr Jekyll

The gun's rattle = one gun's rattle The guns' rattle = lots of guns' rattling The parent's pair of pants - one parent's one pair of pants The parents' pair of pants - more than one parent, still only one pair of pants (I hope they're clean). The sheep's sheets The sheeps' sheets Now I am confused again

Thu, 2006-08-24 00:57

camus

*Now I am confused again* That would be because as usual you are talking utter bollocks, or is it just your strange accent?

Thu, 2006-08-24 08:54

Dr Jekyll

*Now I am confused again* and yet as usual you, Camus, are so wise. The bollock's homing pigeon - one bollock's homing pigeon The bollocks' kitchen - where a few bollocks cook their breakfast Are you threatened by bollocks Camus?

Thu, 2006-08-24 17:14

Sheiks Beer

Dr Jenital, you really are a prize prick.

Thu, 2006-08-24 17:23

yan

Ah yeah! I get it :0{ So if it's lots of people possessing then it's a s' but if it's one person possessing then it's 's ?? It aint law if it aint laminated!

There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett

Thu, 2006-08-24 18:19

GodAlmighty

"Will this help me overcome my frustration. Is it a recommended book for my embarassing problem?" No I don't think there is a book to date that can help with your 'little' problem, to date, as a nation, we usually lock you up and quacks try to work out what's going on in there. I'm not one hundred percent but I'm pretty sure neither Fred West or ian Bradey have written books explaining their problems, until someone similarly fucked up does I doubt if their will be a book that helps yoy address your issues.

Fri, 2006-08-25 11:24

#10

yan

It bothers me a bit but I'm not gonna kill children over it. I wish there were some simple rhyme that I could use; some golden rule or something, you know like they do with remembering guitar strings: Every Bad Girl Deserves An Earwig, or something like that? **grins in anticipation** It aint law if it aint laminated!

There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett

Fri, 2006-08-25 11:53

#11

fergal

It's simple. If it is one thing it has an apostrophe before the s. If it is more than one thing it has it after. It's that simple. (unless it's 'its' and that is a different matter altogether)

Fri, 2006-08-25 11:53

#12

fergal

Maybe you need someone to laminate it for you.

Fri, 2006-08-25 11:59

#13

yan

lol...yes, thankyou ;) It aint law if it aint laminated!

There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett

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