"Mark Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:Mike Kruger said:I personally plan to throw in the towel on this and join the majority.
My
thanks to you, Bryanska, Catzz66, and others for furthering my education.I finally dug out my 'Little, Brown Compact Handbook' - which is the
best compilation of grammar and writing rules I've ever seen (not that
you could tell that by my writing...).The text makes it clear that the apostrophe is NEVER used to form a
plural form of a word. The top-level rule states: "Delete or replace
any apostrophe in a plural noun, a singular verb, or a possessive
personal pronoun".Some listed examples:
Not "The Jones' ", but "The Joneses"
Not "The house is her's. It's roof leaks", but "The house is hers.
Its roof leaks".So there you have it(s). ;-)
Not quite! Why? Because it just doesn't look right.
Here is how I would write it based on how it should look:
The house is hers. Its' roof leaks.
It's stands for it is. Its as the possessive has to be its' because without
the apostrophe it just plain looks goofy. Also, I like Jones' or Jones's
much better than I like Joneses. I think the latter is awkward, looks goofy
and is likely wrong.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota