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

standard.co.uk

11–20 of 109 posts

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

#12
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The decade has possession of the experience? A decade of worth is also correct, sans the possessive noun.

“A decade worth” or “a decade’s worth” would be fine, “a decades worth” would not. If it still doesn’t sound right to you, try “in a year’s time”.

A “year” is possessive in your example, but “decade” is more ambiguous.

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

#14
post #8

Its just simpler to not worry about the apostrophes. Theyre unnecessary for understanding what a sentence is saying. Im confident that future English will be slightly superior once it has eliminated the apostrophe.

Your comment reminds me of this classic: http://ashvital.freeservers.com/ze_dream.htm

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

#15

Is the headline of the NYT Times article How to Be a C.E.O., From a Decade’s Worth of Them , an incorrect use of the apostrophe that this society is rallying against? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/business/how-to-be-a-ceo....

Is it not a correct use of the apostrophe to denote possession?

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

#16
post #9
post #8

Its just simpler to not worry about the apostrophes. Theyre unnecessary for understanding what a sentence is saying. Im confident that future English will be slightly superior once it has eliminated the apostrophe.

Language communicates many things. Correct usage of apostrophes or who/whom is like metadata in your writing that communicates “I am at least educated enough to have been in fourth grade, and at least intelligent enough to have retained some pretty basic rules since then, and at least careful enough to give a damn”. It’s a weak signal, but it’s a signal nonetheless, and people aren’t going to give it up.

Moreover, I think of it like how I think of clothes. You dress well not just for yourself but also as a mark of respect to those whom you're about to meet. Properly typed posts convey similar respect.

Also, sorry to invoke the slippery slope argument, but otherwise what's stopping us from devolving all the way back to scriptura continua?

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

#17
post #15

Is the headline of the NYT Times article How to Be a C.E.O., From a Decade’s Worth of Them , an incorrect use of the apostrophe that this society is rallying against? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/business/how-to-be-a-ceo....

Is it not a correct use of the apostrophe to denote possession?

Yes, but not when it's "its".

For example, if there is an autonomous writing machine, its words are not praptak's words nor mine.

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