Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. Please click here to update your account with a username and password.

Hello. Some features on this site require registration. Please click here to register for free.

Hello and thank you for registering. Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here.

Hello. Some features on this site require a subscription. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month.

Apostrophe society shuts down because 'ignorance and laziness have won'

You're victory, illiterate cunt's!

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 85December 5, 2019 4:21 PM

This won;t be noticed, but...

Common apostrophe mistakes

1) "It's" is only correct as a contraction of "it is", and an apostrophe would not be correct even in the possessive form.

2) "You're" means "you are", and should not be confused with "your", despite sounding the same.

3) Apostrophes are never used for plurals.

by Anonymousreply 1December 1, 2019 5:07 PM

R1 thank you. ❤️

by Anonymousreply 2December 1, 2019 5:08 PM

R1, if you believe that "you're" and "your" sound the same, you're part of the problem. The former is pronounced "you-er" and the latter is pronounced "yore."

by Anonymousreply 3December 1, 2019 5:11 PM

English is a living language and it's always changing and adapting. Many words and usage rules are violated, abused, and or ignored, and those of us who care cringe and pinch our noses and privately or publicly decry the lack of education.

Then one day so many people commit the error routinely that it's no longer an error, it's a variation.

Next, the new usage becomes standard and the old form is archaic.

Get used to it. I've been predicting for years that apostrophes will disappear. And before long there will only be one form each for the variations of your, to, there and many other homophones.

by Anonymousreply 4December 1, 2019 5:14 PM

R4 interesting.

by Anonymousreply 5December 1, 2019 5:19 PM

Bu the DON'T fucking disappear! They are routinely used--on this very site--when people wish to indicate a plural.

by Anonymousreply 6December 1, 2019 5:20 PM

[quote]English is a living language and it's always changing and adapting.

Gurl, puhlease!

by Anonymousreply 7December 1, 2019 5:25 PM

r1 will be back next to tell us water is wet.

by Anonymousreply 8December 1, 2019 5:28 PM

R6, it doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen everywhere at the same pace.

We can get all red-faced and insist the rest of the world follow our instructions, or we can recognize we only control how we use the language, not how anyone else chooses to write and speak.

Either way, the rest of the world will do what it does. You can let it fuel your self-righteous indignation and ruin your day or you can have a sense of humor about it. You cannot force other people to use apostrophes correctly or follow the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other rules some of us once thought were sacrosanct.

by Anonymousreply 9December 1, 2019 5:32 PM

Words to hate:

adaption (ugh) amongst (what's wrong with among?) whilst (while, duh) lose for loose, and vice versa (yuck) and chose and choose, too.

by Anonymousreply 10December 1, 2019 5:41 PM

Grammar nazis are still ... never mind.

by Anonymousreply 11December 1, 2019 5:43 PM

Using it's instead of its for possessive shows how stupid you are. THAT will never change.

by Anonymousreply 12December 1, 2019 5:43 PM

OP, cunts does not need an apostrophe

by Anonymousreply 13December 1, 2019 5:47 PM

Apostrophes can be used as plurals if it is a number( 8's or 8s) or letters: There are three b's in " Bobby."

by Anonymousreply 14December 1, 2019 5:49 PM

R13 doesn't understand the meaning of irony,

by Anonymousreply 15December 1, 2019 5:52 PM

I'rony.

There, I fixed it for you.

by Anonymousreply 16December 1, 2019 5:54 PM

I'm thinking The Midnight Punctuationist is having a conniption right now.

by Anonymousreply 17December 1, 2019 5:55 PM

[quote][R13] doesn't understand the meaning of irony,

I wonder if she does now.

by Anonymousreply 18December 1, 2019 5:57 PM

I just read the word "sybaritic" in an article about Prince Andrew. I had to look it up. Do all of you know what it means?

by Anonymousreply 19December 1, 2019 5:59 PM

R17. He usually signs as The Evening Punctuationist. I suppose he might be The Midnight Punctuationist when he's out righting wrongs.

by Anonymousreply 20December 1, 2019 5:59 PM

I'm old, bald, ugly, effeminate, fat and lonely. No one will fuck me. The only card I have left to play is my mastery of the English language. I take great satisfaction in correcting the spelling and grammar of the people who post on a vulgar gay gossip site like it matters, and like they care. I'm superior.

by Anonymousreply 21December 1, 2019 6:01 PM

You forgot "conversate" and "informational," r10.

by Anonymousreply 22December 1, 2019 6:02 PM

R20, oh, that's right, silly me. Now I'm picturing a masked vigilante out on the dark city streets forcefully correcting a random thug's grammar.

by Anonymousreply 23December 1, 2019 6:03 PM

[quote] OP, cunts does not need an apostrophe

I assumed OP did that -- "cunt's" -- on purpose.

by Anonymousreply 24December 1, 2019 6:08 PM

r24 But aspies don't understand sarcasm or irony??

by Anonymousreply 25December 1, 2019 6:12 PM

[quote] like it matters, and like they care

As [italic]if[/italic].

by Anonymousreply 26December 1, 2019 6:13 PM

These gurls on here is tuff!

by Anonymousreply 27December 1, 2019 6:27 PM

We're a few weeks away from ten years of people writing '20's. So get ready for it!

by Anonymousreply 28December 1, 2019 6:29 PM

'20s

'20s

'20s

'20s

'20s

'20s

'20s

'20s

by Anonymousreply 29December 1, 2019 6:31 PM

I'm going to get my red pen out and I'm going to correct you, oh yes I am.

by Anonymousreply 30December 1, 2019 6:31 PM

' I just read the word "sybaritic" in an article about Prince Andrew. I had to look it up. Do all of you know what it means?'

Oh, yes. I used it on the BRF threads last week to annoy the sows there. They were squealing about Meghan, and I used it to describe the expression on the face of little Prince Louis. Another hedonistic Pedrew in the making, headed for a life of tax payer funded decadence and depravity.

by Anonymousreply 31December 1, 2019 6:31 PM

r28 Sweetie, you won't be around in 10 years time.

by Anonymousreply 32December 1, 2019 6:32 PM

Oh, dear, r30.

by Anonymousreply 33December 1, 2019 6:32 PM

R28, you are so right. I happen to prefer '20s, but people who let usage errors or variations upset them should stock up on blood pressure medication now, before widespread shortages begin.

by Anonymousreply 34December 1, 2019 6:34 PM

“ With regret I have to announce that, after some 18 years, I have decided to close the Apostrophe Protection Society," he said in a post on his website.

"There are two reasons for this. One is that at 96 I am cutting back on my commitments and the second is that fewer organisations and individuals are now caring about the correct use of the apostrophe in the English language.

by Anonymousreply 35December 1, 2019 6:41 PM

So how does this affect the interpretation of legal documents and laws?

by Anonymousreply 36December 1, 2019 6:59 PM

Another Punctuationist has fallen! Sad tidings.

[quote] R3: if you believe that "you're" and "your" sound the same, you're part of the problem. The former is pronounced "you-er" and the latter is pronounced "yore."

Although pronunciation is not in my purview, please allow me to be the first to call you crazy. They are all pronounced interchangeably. I’m in New York. Where are you from, with your exotic pronunciation?

by Anonymousreply 37December 1, 2019 7:32 PM

R36, the only punctuation that matters in legal documents are the commas used to separate every thousand dollars in a large sum.

by Anonymousreply 38December 1, 2019 7:34 PM

I still pull up stores on the incorrect use of the apostrophe. These people tend to look at me in a funny way and step backwards🤔

by Anonymousreply 39December 1, 2019 7:38 PM

EP, You're not fat or ugly, and we're about the same age. But you're much, much smarter than I am. I'm a hick, although I try to be polite.

by Anonymousreply 40December 1, 2019 7:40 PM

[quote] R1: “It's" is only correct as a contraction of "it is", and an apostrophe would not be correct even in the possessive form.

One way to remember this is as follows, assuming that the apostrophe is a bad actor and should be put in its place. Yes, I judge punctuation.

The contraction of “it is” is informal and requires an apostrophe to acknowledge the informality, and that there’s an alternate way to write it. The contraction is “it’s”.

The possessive, “its” has no alternative spelling, whether being formal or otherwise.

by Anonymousreply 41December 1, 2019 7:44 PM

I'm a raging apostrophe queen, but I never correct somebody if they miss one. Do you know how fucking stupid it is, anyway? English is so difficult to learn because of this shit. To think it gives people anxiety. Actually, if it was one of my niece's children who are still in grade school, I would. But it's so tacky to correct an adult, esp. a stranger. And if it's somebody you've been wanting to get back at for awhile, wait for a really good moment. Who fucking cares? It doesn't make you better, it certainly doesn't mean you're better educated. It just means you have the capacity to remember details. BFD.

by Anonymousreply 42December 1, 2019 8:08 PM

The ignorant are prevailing; First, the Oxford comma and now this !!!!!

by Anonymousreply 43December 1, 2019 8:21 PM

R42, Your post caused me to choke on my sherry! Proper punctuation certainly does make you better.

by Anonymousreply 44December 1, 2019 8:24 PM

I'm hoping periods go away next.

by Anonymousreply 45December 1, 2019 8:27 PM

Not exactly an Apostophe problem, but I often hear and see "There's fifteen houses on the block."

by Anonymousreply 46December 1, 2019 8:47 PM

[quote]If you believe that "you're" and "your" sound the same, you're part of the problem. The former is pronounced "you-er" and the latter is pronounced "yore."

I live in New York City and I pronounce these words as described above, but I recognize that not everyone else does.

As for its and it's, I've always felt part of the problem is the one major exception to the rule. It's with an apostrophe is correct for the possessive as in "the man's shoe" or "Maria's car," but incorrect for the possessive with the pronoun it, as in "the cat licked its paw." Obviously this is to distinguish the possessive "its" from "it's" as a contraction for "it is," buI think maybe if it wasn't for this major, contradictory exception, so many people wouldn't make so many mistakes with these two words.

by Anonymousreply 47December 1, 2019 9:04 PM

Victory is our’s!

by Anonymousreply 48December 1, 2019 9:07 PM

[quote] As for its and it's, I've always felt part of the problem is the one major exception to the rule. It's with an apostrophe is correct for the possessive as in "the man's shoe" or "Maria's car," but incorrect for the possessive with the pronoun it, as in "the cat licked its paw."

I'm sure you are correct as to why people get confused about "its" vs. "it's" but "its" really isn't an exception to any rule. Think his/her/their/its rather than Maria's/the man's/its. In other words, nouns and proper nouns need an apostrophe to be made possessive; pronouns do not.

by Anonymousreply 49December 1, 2019 10:40 PM

[R22], shhhh! We don't know if these batshit crazy apostrophe fraus can track us by our ISPs! They'll find our homes, they'll read our diaries, letters, emails... every one will be grammatically correct! Then the misspelled ransom notes will start. You and I will be found in an oubliette outside Nantes. I can't face that right now!!!

by Anonymousreply 50December 1, 2019 11:22 PM

R37, I'm in the American great plains region so certainly nowhere exotic. I'm not even stating that everyone here does it as well, but they are (or "they're" to go along with the theme) the proper pronunciations. Also, "they're" and "their/there" are not pronounced exactly the same way either although the distinction is less. But they are still different from one another.

by Anonymousreply 51December 2, 2019 1:05 AM

Are and our pronounced exactly the same.

by Anonymousreply 52December 2, 2019 1:08 AM

I hate that too, R52.

by Anonymousreply 53December 2, 2019 1:12 AM

No, dude, they are YOUR (joke semi-intended) pronunciations. The correct (as in first-listed and preferred in the dictionary) pronunciation of both words is yoo r, rhymes with pure. Of course, people use variant pronunciations depending on where they are from, and that's fine, but your way does not happen to be the most correct way.

by Anonymousreply 54December 2, 2019 1:12 AM

R52, I say:

Our, pronounced “Owe-er”

And

Are, pronounced “R”

But when I’m not focusing on it, I might pronounce them identically.

by Anonymousreply 55December 2, 2019 1:13 AM

I hate when people unnaturally add in big words to posture and look good. If they do it naturally, fine. I can tell when they are forcing it and it's just like whyyy. I like a simple, plain spoken charm as well as a high brow character charm. It's all charming.

What's not charming is correcting someone's grammar like it's important than being polite. I find it ironic. Sure, correct my grammar but can ya correct your defect at being a nice person while you're at it. Of course, I never say such things, just smile and nod.

by Anonymousreply 56December 2, 2019 1:14 AM

As long as we're talking pronunciation:

Marry - Merry - MARY!

by Anonymousreply 57December 2, 2019 1:17 AM

I'm not disputing that there are homophones...it's just that "you're" and "your," and "our" and "are" are not included in that definition. At least not with educated people.

by Anonymousreply 58December 2, 2019 1:21 AM

R58 you a great example of why people don't care all too much about being educated. So I can find new ways to insult others? Where so I sign up!

When you know perfectly well what people mean but you're being pedantic. You're not bettering the world. You're making people defensive and anti-intellectual, when they're probably not really anti-intellectual they're anti prick asshole shoving tedious rules in their face.

by Anonymousreply 59December 2, 2019 1:31 AM

R59, I would never correct people in real life. I was just commenting on the earlier assertion that "you're" and "your" are pronounced the same. It's just a conversation.

by Anonymousreply 60December 2, 2019 1:45 AM

If I'm friends with someone and it's just me and that person talking, I might say something about their pronunciation or usage. Especially if it's someone who speaks in front of groups for a living. Better to have a friend point out something when it's just the two of you (than mispronounce something in front of a crowd).

by Anonymousreply 61December 2, 2019 2:01 AM

[quote] I'm not disputing that there are homophones...it's just that "you're" and "your," and "our" and "are" are not included in that definition.

You are correct about "our" and "are," but wrong about "you're" and "your."

by Anonymousreply 62December 2, 2019 2:37 AM

Your:

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 63December 2, 2019 2:39 AM

You're:

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 64December 2, 2019 2:40 AM

R63 and R64 sound identical to me.

by Anonymousreply 65December 2, 2019 2:44 AM

That's because they are, r65. I posted them for the edification of the dude who keeps insisting that they are pronounced differently.

by Anonymousreply 66December 2, 2019 2:46 AM

Vocabulary and pronunciation have nothing to do with punctuation.

The ocean of stupidity is at flood-level here.

by Anonymousreply 67December 2, 2019 6:35 AM

[quote] Vocabulary and pronunciation have nothing to do with punctuation.

Nobody said they did, OP. Things tend to stray off-topic around here, in case you hadn’t noticed.

by Anonymousreply 68December 2, 2019 7:18 AM

Aspotrophes are easy. Now don't get me started on SMALL BUT NEVER ENDING situations with HYPHENS!!!!

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 69December 2, 2019 7:50 AM

This is an apostrophe catastrophe!

by Anonymousreply 70December 2, 2019 7:56 AM

[R59] go fuck yourself. You're essentially saying the same thing anytime your dumbfuck napkin of dubious worth is crinkled. Christ...

by Anonymousreply 71December 2, 2019 8:28 AM

An Apostrophe to denote possession is a strange English phenomenon. Most languages that inflect have a genitive case which is the case of possession and usually have a specific letter or letters at the end of a word to denote that. In English, it's an "s". The German language also uses "s" very often, or "es" , but no apostrophe. However, it's a convention in English grammar and has been for 4 or 5 centuries, as English made the switch from Middle English to Modern English. (It used to be lambes woole and now is lamb's wool). It's very possible that the apostrophe came in initially to indicate the missing "e" which was no longer being pronounced anyway. Since the written forms of languages tend to be very conservative, I'm afraid we'll have this convention for the rest of our lives, although the people who text seem to do fine without it. I Swype, and when I go to write John's car, I have to swype the letters j o h n as a solid word and then hit the letter s which then provides me with an option for 's above. But it's a pain. I do it, but most people don't bother. I grant that it's vs its is a pain to remember, but as someone above clearly explained, its is a personal possessive pronoun belonging to the set "mine, yours, his, hers, ours"

by Anonymousreply 72December 2, 2019 9:48 AM

As former editor, I have met countless people who had fascinating, important, and unique stories to tell, but who were too terrified to write about their experiences, because they were afraid of being judged or thought unintelligent for not knowing the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

I always told them not to give that a second thought, because an editor could fix those problems, but no one else could tell their story. Sometimes I convinced them to give it a try, and the world is richer for their stories having being told. Sometimes nothing I said broke through their fear of the kind of judgement and condescension on display in this thread.

All the rules of usage are merely style. They change with the seasons and the context. You can spend your life as a prig, criticizing other people's speech and writing styles. Or, if you truly love language, you can celebrate its diversity and color, and appreciate the way it reveals the character and lived experience of the people who write and speak it.

by Anonymousreply 73December 2, 2019 10:43 AM

[quote]You can spend your life as a prig, criticizing other people's speech and writing styles

This is my idea of heaven.

I hope DL is around long into my retirement, so that I have a hobby.

by Anonymousreply 74December 2, 2019 12:08 PM

I red a cupla textas about dat.

by Anonymousreply 75December 2, 2019 1:32 PM

The one that is going to go by the wayside first - probably already has, for the most part - is reserving it’s to only signify it is.

Most just think “it’s been a long time” sounds perfectly correct, not realizing they’re actually saying “it is been a long time.”

The use of it’s for ‘it has’ as well as ‘it is’ will be widespread and acceptable in no time.

by Anonymousreply 76December 3, 2019 4:29 PM

What?^^^^ It's has always meant "it is" OR "it has". That's not some new usage. "It's been happening for centuries" means this contracted form of "it has" has been used for centuries.

by Anonymousreply 77December 3, 2019 6:53 PM

It's has always also meant "it has," r76. I was taught that in 3rd grade, back in the mid 70s.

by Anonymousreply 78December 5, 2019 1:32 AM

Let's just compromise with you're/ your and use "ur" for all of it

by Anonymousreply 79December 5, 2019 2:00 AM

Yeah, R79, let's all type like 12-year-olds on phones.

by Anonymousreply 80December 5, 2019 5:25 AM

R80, it's only a matter of time before what you wrote turns into: YLATL12YOO📱

by Anonymousreply 81December 5, 2019 5:32 AM

Don’t you mean 12YOOP?

by Anonymousreply 82December 5, 2019 10:10 AM

Since young people are always right and can’t be criticized, we should all TLK llk 12 YR olds.

by Anonymousreply 83December 5, 2019 3:11 PM

[quote]Let's just compromise with you're/ your and use "ur" for all of it

Now hold on there ...

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 84December 5, 2019 3:25 PM

[quote]This won;t be noticed, but...

Oh, dear. It was.

by Anonymousreply 85December 5, 2019 4:21 PM
Loading
Need more help? Click Here.

Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.

×

Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads!