Re: [NTLK] The "Greengrocers' Apostrophe" [OT]

Yes, YES, *YES*!!!

Using apostrophes in plurals rather than possessives (except for the
one case where you're not supposed to but so many seem to: its) is
overwhelming the written English language these days the way Dutch
Elm Disease does trees.

But while I'm at it, I'd like to also point out my other big pet
peeve, which is almost as ubiquitous and perfidious: people typing
"loose" in place of "lose". This one's so pervasive that even friends
of mine who're very well-educated — even, in one case, a
teacher...though thankfully not of English — give in to it.

One would think that, in a primarily text-based medium such as the
internet, proper language would only become more, not less,
important. I mean, yes, I can see the value in shorthands, acronyms,
and initials when communicating in real-time...the LOLs, YMMVs, and
IMHOs of the world...and forgiveness of typos, which are inevitable.
But the instances we're complaining about here are just straight-up
malapropisms! And when people are called on them, they don't even
have the common decency to be suitably abashed.

In what the dearly departed and much-missed Air America Radio show,
"Morning Sedition", called "The War on Brains", I fear the brains are
losing. ><

Thank you for your indulgence, and now back to your regularly-
scheduled Newton programming.

-Sonya

Deb wrote:
> "It's" as a possessive instead of a contraction (as well as "iPod's
> for Sale," "Open on Sunday's," etc.) drives me crazy! And while I'm
> ranting, why can't we have a president who can pronounce "nuclear."

==
     "I urge you all today, especially today during these
times of chaos and war, to love yourself without reservations
and to love each other without restraint. Unless you're into
leather. And then, by all means, use restraints."
                                                 —Margaret Cho

Sonya Hipper
sonyalynn@earthlink.net
AIM: SonyaLynn
Yahoo: thesonyalynn

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Received on Mon Sep 3 15:48:31 2007