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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>Note the above rule does not apply to pronouns: it > its, not it's.
it's truly amazing how many folks have trouble with the possessive pronoun -- and it's quite easy to keep straight if only you remember its consistency with his and hers!
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347 |
add 's to singular nouns except Classical and Biblical names ending in s
Please tell me this is a joke! As if English wasn't hard enough - now we have to be scholars, historians and theologians in order to construct simple possessive cases.
So my colleague James gets James', and my neighbour's dog would get Brutus', but my mate Santos would have Santos's. Marcus would get Marcus' because of his connections. Chris I guess would be Chris's, but then again perhaps being a diminutive of a name having Christ as its origin would be enough for a Biblical guernsey?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
>why these categories are treated differently?<
This looks somewhat analogous to the "Octopus controversy" of late. The genetive of the classical and Biblical names certainly used to be formed according to Latin and Greek rules ("Augusti", "Jesus"). So the simple apostrophe avoids inferring that they were ending in ..uses or ..oses.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Thank you, wsieber.
Sometimes, I wish I had studied Latin. Other times, I wish I had skipped school altogether.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Good God Jackie, this is nearly a case of the cure being worse than the sickness.
I think the only time mnemonics were ever used in my education was in primary school when I learned to spell friend. So as not to mistake the placement of the vowels our teacher taught "first you fri (fry) and then it's the end" and the usual "I before E except after C"
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
this is nearly a case of the cure being worse than the sickness.
Oh, I quite agree! But I think that perhaps we think so because we did not have the history of England drilled into us as strongly in school as did/do those who live there.
Though perhaps Canadians did, when under the monarchy.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
I don't know about that. Our Constitution was only brought home - repatriated - in the 80's. Even before then we were not taught about the British monarchy. I would have to ask my grandma (Granny to all of us). Granny is 87 so she may have some insight that I do not.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
the usual "I before E except after C" A very useful rule - as in "Thier wiers were ieght feet in hieght." And this is not just slieght of hand, iether! 
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Très true. I should have added the expression we have here..."except for the many exceptions and Jewish names"
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Not a poem, but a song- sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle" for English grammar no less
Be, seen, feel, become, appear,
Look, taste, grow, sound, remain, smell
Copulative verbs take nominative,
Predicate noun or adjective!
It helped me with a number of grammar questions on English test over the years.
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