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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
The New York Times recently quit using the apostrophe with an abbreviation (eg, DVDs) though I had always considered its use as virtually mandatory, but changes taking place in the media and popular culture overwhelm my traditional understanding of usage in the Mother Tongue
For instance the stylebook for our local Fourth Estate, The Victorville, CA Daily Press, evidently allows for the interchange of "lay" and "lie," where more than once we have noted a usage like, "...a woman laying beside the road..."
While the traditional scholar might anticipate the imminent arrest of the woman on grounds of indecent exposure, the new usage is no doubt meant to allay the possible assumption that she is instead seated curbside using a cellphone to spread rumors and untruths
Eg, lying beside the highway
In the Press' defense, however, to lay is doubtless becoming widespread as we have also noted the occasional laying even in AP stories. By coincidence in today's Press , "The victim had drank a large amount of alcohol...." Perhaps the woman was laying there because she had drank so much, suggesting another linguistic twist in a parallel vein (no puns intended)
dalehileman
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 618
addict
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addict
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 618 |
The New York Times recently quit using the apostrophe with an abbreviation I could never work out why there was an apostrophe there in the first place.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
There are times when it is helpful, but, as a general rule, I leave it out. How many is are there in the previous sentence?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
There are times when it is helpful, but, as a general rule, I leave it out. How many is are there in the previous sentence? I count four(4) is; but there is only one Is. - joe (ambiguity are our friend) friday
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I got five, though one is a bit uppity. and one is.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
Nope. There's only one...
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
There's no I in TEAM, but there is in WIN.
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