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From: Peter Humphrey <peter@humphrey.ukfsn.org>
To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org
Subject: [OT] Re: [gentoo-user] Cannot see Grub menu
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 01:16:05 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <201208140116.05814.peter@humphrey.ukfsn.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20120813090338.5b9d6cdd@hactar.digimed.co.uk>

On Monday 13 August 2012 09:03:38 Neil Bothwick wrote:

> The confusion arises because, when used with a name, an apostrophe is
> needed for a possessive.

The confusion arises because the apostrophe has two functions, which 
collide in its/it's. Who can tell /a priori/ which applies in any given 
case? You just have to know. There's no substitute for a decent 
education.

> It is an understandable error...

Indeed, which is why I don't usually rise to any particular bait.

> ...unlike grocers' apostrophe's, which crop up everywhere and are far
> more grating for me.

Agreed, except that I think you mean greengrocers'. I also find that 
commas seem to be thrown at random into a piece of prose in the apparent 
hope that a few will land where they might do some good. Even Penrose is 
sometimes guilty of that. And don't start me on the egregious Oxford 
comma. Nor on the German insistence on separating the verb from the 
object with a comma, as though the action could proceed without 
something to act on.

Even worse is the developing inability to distinguish between singular 
and plural. Not only that but the growing use of "stuff" shows an 
inability to distinguish even between what can be counted (number) and 
what can't (amount). I could find myself in despair if I weren't careful.

-- 
Rgds
Peter


  parent reply	other threads:[~2012-08-14  0:18 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 23+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2012-08-12  0:09 [gentoo-user] Cannot see Grub menu Frank Steinmetzger
2012-08-12  1:33 ` Mark Knecht
2012-08-12  1:41   ` Frank Steinmetzger
2012-08-12  2:28     ` Mark Knecht
2012-08-12  3:10       ` Dale
2012-08-13  9:18         ` Hinnerk van Bruinehsen
2012-08-13 11:21           ` Michael Hampicke
2012-08-12  9:47 ` Alex Schuster
2012-08-12 10:01   ` Alan McKinnon
2012-08-12 13:31     ` Mick
2012-08-12 22:52       ` Frank Steinmetzger
2012-08-12 23:08         ` Alan McKinnon
2012-08-13  1:43           ` Peter Humphrey
2012-08-13  8:03             ` Neil Bothwick
2012-08-13 17:43               ` Frank Steinmetzger
2012-08-14  0:16               ` Peter Humphrey [this message]
2012-08-14  7:32                 ` [OT] " Neil Bothwick
2012-08-12 23:14         ` Dale
2012-08-13 17:46           ` Frank Steinmetzger
2012-08-13 21:31             ` Mick
2012-08-12 18:52 ` Michael Mol
2012-08-12 19:34   ` Mick
2012-08-12 20:06     ` Michael Mol

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