apostrophes - Wordsmith.org

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#20334 - 02/26/01 11:10 PM apostrophes
Anonymous Unregistered	My local grocery store is called "Gelson's", and i recently received an ad which included something to the effect of "Gelsons' goal is to.... etc." Is this correct? How do you make a possessive proper noun into a double possessive, of sorts? do you simply drop the initial apostrophe, as they did? surely you wouldn't say "Gelson's' goal", right? I'd defer to their expertise had the ad not been riddled with the it's/its mistake (YART). TIA
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#20335 - 02/26/01 11:30 PM Re: apostrophes
Bingley Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/09/00 Posts: 3065 Loc: Jakarta	Technically "Gelson's' goal" would be the correct form, but it would be far better to avoid the problem and say, e.g., "the goal of Gelson's". If it comes to that why not just "our goal"? Bingley _________________________ Bingley
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#20336 - 02/26/01 11:38 PM Re: apostrophes
Anonymous Unregistered	You mean to say "Gelson's's goal" would also be correct? wow.
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#20337 - 02/27/01 06:17 AM Re: apostrophes
belligerentyouth old hand Registered: 12/20/00 Posts: 1055 Loc: Berlin	'Gelson's' is short for Gelson's place or shop right? So having two possessives in a row it would be: Gelson's Shop's goal Obviously 'Goals of Gelson's (Shop)' would be less of a mouthful.
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#20338 - 02/27/01 07:06 AM Re: apostrophes (it all depends)
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13657	Do they sell potato'es at .99¢/#?
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#20339 - 02/27/01 11:31 AM Re: apostrophes
Anonymous Unregistered	..and while we're on the subject of multiple apostrophes: Is I'd've a word? it's used orally quite a bit, but looks awfully strange written down. I'd've simply looked it up, but i figured it'd be easier just to pick your collective brains. well, that plus i'm almost a member....
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#20340 - 02/27/01 11:40 AM Re: apostrophes
Bobyoungbalt veteran Registered: 11/22/00 Posts: 1289	I'd've My personal take on this is that if a word exists in oral use, it can always be written down -- that's what writing is for; ergo, it always has the potential to exist in written form and when somebody does write it, there it is. On the other hand, I hold fast to the notion that there is never more than one apostrophe in a word. Notwithstanding that there are two elisions in the present case, I would suppress one and spell it "I'dve".
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#20341 - 02/27/01 11:46 AM Re: apostrophes
wow Carpal Tunnel Registered: 11/25/00 Posts: 3439 Loc: New England, USA	My personal take on this is that if a word exists in oral use, it can always be written down ------------------------------------------------- Agreed. Especially when you write conversation as in books. Generally, on this Board, I think we try to write as we'd speak, as we lack the voical tonality to enforce or modify the tone of a post. wow
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#20342 - 02/27/01 12:25 PM Re: apostrophes
maverick Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/15/00 Posts: 4757	voical tonality that reminds me of the way Al used to talk to me in Joisey
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#20343 - 02/27/01 03:39 PM Re: apostrophes
wow Carpal Tunnel Registered: 11/25/00 Posts: 3439 Loc: New England, USA	One fumble finger and I am in the soup. Now I know how poor TEd feels. vocal vocal vocal!!! wow
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