Post by Aleksei Trevelyan on Jun 11, 2008 14:40:52 GMT -5
KIDS!
Apostrophes.[/u][/color] They're tricky little buggers, aren't they? Thankfully, we have our good friend Strong Bad to help us out. Right, Strong Bad?
Ohhhhh, if you want it to be possessive, it's just "I-T-S"
But if it's supposed to be a contraction, then it's "I-T-apostrophe-S."
Scalawag.
In short: Apostrophes after things that are supposed to be plural are bad, children. The same rule applies to acronyms - It's not "ATM's" if you are referring to plural Automated Teller Machines.
I see this all the time in the RL, even in my English class, and it's bugging the everloving frak out of me. So please. Think of the apostrophes. Because every time you misuse an apostrophe, God kills a kitten.
Homophones. No, not those annoying people who think that men liking men is a dirty sin. Those are homophobes, and it's quite all right to mess with them. Homophones are words that sound alike ("red" and "read", for example), and are very annoying when misused. Of particular import are the following:
Your/You're. The first one is possessive. The second one is a contraction of you are.
Ex: "You're looking awfully lobsterish. Did you remember to put on your[/color] sunscreen?"
There/Their/They're. The first is locative. The second is possessive. The third is a contraction of they are.
Ex: "There[/color] is a demon horde at the gate. Their[/color] leader looks pretty angry. I wonder what they're[/color] after?"
Its/It's. The first is possessive. The second is a contraction of it is or it has (informal usage).
Ex: "Look at that rock over there. See how its[/color] surface is all crusty? I wonder if it's[/color] a geode."
That concludes the grammar bulletin for now. Further bulletins as events warrant.
--Your Friendly NeighborhoodSpider-Jackal Grammar Nazi Admin
Apostrophes.[/u][/color] They're tricky little buggers, aren't they? Thankfully, we have our good friend Strong Bad to help us out. Right, Strong Bad?
Ohhhhh, if you want it to be possessive, it's just "I-T-S"
But if it's supposed to be a contraction, then it's "I-T-apostrophe-S."
Scalawag.
In short: Apostrophes after things that are supposed to be plural are bad, children. The same rule applies to acronyms - It's not "ATM's" if you are referring to plural Automated Teller Machines.
I see this all the time in the RL, even in my English class, and it's bugging the everloving frak out of me. So please. Think of the apostrophes. Because every time you misuse an apostrophe, God kills a kitten.
Homophones. No, not those annoying people who think that men liking men is a dirty sin. Those are homophobes, and it's quite all right to mess with them. Homophones are words that sound alike ("red" and "read", for example), and are very annoying when misused. Of particular import are the following:
Your/You're. The first one is possessive. The second one is a contraction of you are.
Ex: "You're looking awfully lobsterish. Did you remember to put on your[/color] sunscreen?"
There/Their/They're. The first is locative. The second is possessive. The third is a contraction of they are.
Ex: "There[/color] is a demon horde at the gate. Their[/color] leader looks pretty angry. I wonder what they're[/color] after?"
Its/It's. The first is possessive. The second is a contraction of it is or it has (informal usage).
Ex: "Look at that rock over there. See how its[/color] surface is all crusty? I wonder if it's[/color] a geode."
That concludes the grammar bulletin for now. Further bulletins as events warrant.
--Your Friendly Neighborhood
