[ebooktalk] Re: Grammar Question
- From: "CJ & AA MAY" <chrisalis.may@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 18:19:02 +0100
I trained as a shorthand typist when typewriters were still in common use.
Many of my jobs were boring but I would enhance my days by making sure the
documents I produced were well laid out.
My daughter, some 20-odd years later also trained as a secretary but by now
computers were in common use. I was appalled to learn that paragraphs are no
longer indented, the sendee and recipient's addresses just hugging the
lefthand margin, headings no longer centred and that in her office at least
it was quite acceptable to use apostrophied words.
Alison
-----Original Message-----
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Steven Bingham
Sent: 08 July 2013 17:12
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: Grammar Question
Pele
The list belongs to next week it therefore has the apostrophe s "Next week's
list).
The Civil Service guidance used to be "Don not use apostrophes for
possessives - I tink this was on the basis that most people didn't know how
to use them properly and it was better not to use them than to show up
people's ignorance. The CS guidance was always based on a simplistic
approach that would have preferred to use no punctuation at all. Write
paragraphs of one sentence and you don't need a fullstop because the new
line would force a break. I often used to think that what they would really
like was documents of one paragraph or sone sentence of one word. But even
the idiots responsible for CS grammar realised that this could make the
document ambiguous and that was the last thing you wanted unless you were
drafting for a minister then you would need all the ambiguity you could
find.
I once wrote a statement to be read in the House of Lords and the minister's
secretary said it was absolutely fine but could I remove the commas. His
Lordship will either understand it and read it correctly or if he doesn't
he'll just have to draw breath and the listeners can draw their own
conclusions.
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Pele West
Sent: 08 July 2013 11:50
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: Grammar Question
Hi Everyone
I hate putting apostrophes in the wrong place, and I will go out of my way
to change a sentence so that I don't have to use one if I am in any doubt.
So, can one of you learned people advise me.
As some of you know, I compile the BBC Radio 4 Extra programme listings each
week and send them to a list. I usually start the message
"Below is the schedule for next week" or "Below are the listings for next
week".
If I wrote
Below is next weeks schedule" or
Below are next week's listings"
should there be an apostrophe after "week"?
At work they wanted such things removed.
Pele
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