English grammar question

[dighn]

Originally posted by: krotchy
Questions for the grammar Nazi's:

Did you not explicitly understand what was being conveyed when the OP writes minutes' vs minutes. Was the sentence unreadable due to the lack of apostrophe, but somehow easier to understand with one? WHY DO YOU CARE? Honestly, I just don't understand it. I know my grammar is mediocre at best, but I get my point across whenever I write something. Who cares if an apostrophe is misplaced.

When people read a post and choose to reply to the grammar and not the question its incredibly annoying. Almost as annoying as the amount of flaming I will likely receive for asking these questions.

Correct grammar can be very important when you want to express something very clearly and precisely. This is especially important in areas such as technical writing and law, where ambiguity can cause you big problems. While picking apart the grammar from a casual forum posting is overkill, arguing over proper grammar is a perfectly constructive activity.

 

[silverpig]

Okay okay:


A plane from apostrophe air sits on a treadmill which is set to run such that the plane won't move. Will Aquaman's magazines kill Syringer's spider before 0.2% of the L&R forum gets laid, assuming it all takes place on the airplane?

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: silverpig
Okay okay:


A plane from apostrophe air sits on a treadmill which is set to run such that the plane won't move. Will Aquaman's magazines kill Syringer's spider before 0.2% of the L&R forum gets laid, assuming it all takes place on the airplane?

:Q

 

[destrekor]

this thread is in my head, hurtin my brain

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: silverpig
Okay okay:


A plane from apostrophe air sits on a treadmill which is set to run such that the plane won't move. Will Aquaman's magazines kill Syringer's spider before 0.2% of the L&R forum gets laid, assuming it all takes place on the airplane?

:laugh:
(and yes, I claimed quote on this one. )

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: silverpig
Okay okay:


A plane from apostrophe air sits on a treadmill which is set to run such that the plane won't move. Will Aquaman's magazines kill Syringer's spider before 0.2% of the L&R forum gets laid, assuming it all takes place on the airplane?

CLASSIC!!!

 

[Squisher]

This thread is suck.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Because grammar counts BIG time in terms of respect with written correspondence. Internet posts are one thing; official correspondence be it an E-mail, a memo, a presentation, a white paper, whatever are another.

You can be the biggest brainiac in the world, but if you can't use proper grammar in writing you're pretty worthless. It counts. It counts a lot.

Maybe in english major type fields.

Business takes place at the eighth grade level, like it or not.

There are tons of extremely smart people out there that cannot write either because they never bothered learning, do not care about it, or simply english is not a language they can communicate in.

This is why you have technical writers, project managers and ghost writers.

I have seen many white papers that had really bad grammar and even spelling errors throughout.

If you are a lackey though, the big wigs will expect perfect penmanship.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: LS20

Originally posted by: jw0ollard


For expressions of time and measurement, the possessive is shown with an apostrophe -s: "one dollar's worth," "two dollars' worth," "a hard day's night," "two years' experience," "an evening's entertainment," and "two weeks' notice"

Edit: Fuck you. Look up "mind's eye" if you have to. Idiot.

Reality is what's observed through the eyes and interpreted in the mind. So it is as if the eyes are the mind's. So in that situation, the use of apostrophe is appropriate. However, that situation is not analogous to the first.

So touchy. Defensive much?

On which planet is "Defensive much?" exhibiting correct grammar?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

the apostrophe does not take off...

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer


On which planet is "Defensive much?" exhibiting correct grammar?

On which planet should colloquial expressions honor grammatic rules?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: LS20

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer


On which planet is "Defensive much?" exhibiting correct grammar?

On which planet should colloquial expressions honor grammatic rules?

Grammar.

 

[funkymatt]

Originally posted by: jw0ollard

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender

Originally posted by: jw0ollard
Do you say:

A) It's all in a day's work.

or

B) It's all in a days work.

You two "no apostrophe" people better answer B.

I say your Professor is wrong.

It's all in a day's work.

It is all in a day is work.

It should be B.

WTF are you smoking??? Day is possessive of work. That's not a contraction, retard.

this made me lol

 

[mugs]

I guess I'm a little late to the party.
:thumbsup: to jw0ollard for posting the correct case.

And once again spidey07 makes himself look like a prick by belittling people when HE was wrong. :laugh:

Spidey, I'd like to recommend two books to you so you won't look as stupid in your professional communication as you do in your Internet forum communication.

Essential English Grammar by Philip Gucker
Essentials of English Grammar by L. Sue Baugh

They should help you.

Edit:
I just had a horrifying thought. Those of us who use proper grammar have people like spidey improperly judging us based on our supposed improper grammar. :Q

 

[Kelemvor]

Would you say something is "a 3 hour drive" or "a 3 hour's drive". You'd say the first one. THe time ie just telling you how long the drive or walk is. It doesn't own it. No apostrophe is correct.

THe people quoting things like the mind's eye, that is correct because it's actually saying it's an eye that belongs to the mind. But it's not a walk that belongs to the minutes. It's a walk that lasts a few minutes.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
Would you say something is "a 3 hour drive" or "a 3 hour's drive". You'd say the first one. THe time ie just telling you how long the drive or walk is. It doesn't own it. No apostrophe is correct.

"It's a three hour drive from Seattle to Portland."<--colloquial sentence
"Three hours' drive from Memphis, my transmission suddenly failed catastrophically."<--literary sentence

If "hours" doesn't 'own' "drive", then how do you explain "A drive of three hours"?

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: mugs
:thumbsup: to jw0ollard for posting the correct case.

Ahem... *goes and sits in the corner*