It was a pdf copy of an older edition so i couldnt see the publication date. If the apostrophe appears before the letter s then it may denote that the possessive case is singular, i. Thus write, red, white, and blue gold, silver, or copper he opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents. The apostrophe is used to show 1 possessives of nouns and some pronouns, 2 contractions, and 3 some plurals.
Despite the billowing smoke and clash of swords outside his office window, strunk seems unaware that this civil war even exists. This is also the usage of the government printing of. The foundations principal office is located at 4557 melan dr. When someone s name ends with an s, it is acceptable to use an apostrophe without an s to show ownership, but linguists with the chicago manual of style, along with others, prefer to add an s after the apostrophe. Hammurabis code, dickenss last novel, jamess cello. Strunk and whites the elements of style receives frequent mention in articles about writing originating as a classroom study aid prepared by cornell english professor william strunk in 1918, this widelyused desk reference of english usage, form, and style continues to influence writers after a hundred years. However, the clarity of the times s rule slyly referred to at the a. Each of these brief quizzes assesses student understanding of a particular rule outlined by strunk and white, including proper usage for apostrophes, various purposes of commas, comma. Inconsistency in strunk and white regarding serial comma. Save considerably by purchasing the complete 11rule quiz set, which correlates with strunk and white s.
Pdf a supplement to strunk and whites the elements of. Classical or biblical names, such as moses, which take only an apostrophe. Maira kalman, who provided the illustrations for the elements of style illustrated 2005, see below, asked nico muhly to compose a cantata based on the book. This reader wants to know why we write 1980s and not 1980s. As an american english teacher i teach students not to use s s.
Heres how the original strunk and white stated the same rule. As strunk and white remind us in the elements of style 4th ed. Government printing office, style manual the thomas approach. I agree that a singular noun forming a possessive always takes s. The first writer i watched at work was my stepfather, e. Ive heard some say that you add apostrophes to a word with only one s, but only apostrophe to a word with two s s. This is a very, very rare case, where we use an apostrophe to show that something is plural, and it almost never happens, but we will. This guide presents and explains most of the elementary rules of usage from the elements of style by strunk and white. It is the case that charles s is still grammatically correct, because writing reflects speech and most native speakers still pronounce the s twice.
If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction. First published in 1935, this slim volume provides wise guidance still relevant in todays world of instant communication. According to the chicago manual of style and strunk and white s elements of style, you make a possessive out of common nouns ending in s by adding an apostrophe, regardless of whether theyre singluar or plural. This brief quiz assesses student understanding of usage rule 1, regarding apostrophes for possession, from strunk and white s the elements of style. Add commas where they are needed in the following sentences.
The problem nearly always seems to stem from not understanding that the apostrophe has two very different and very important uses in english. A supplement to strunk and whites the elements of style b. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each. Note that contractions are often considered too informal for academic writing. This comma is often referred to as the serial comma. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the. Hammurabi s code, dickens s last novel, james s cello. When to form a plural with an apostrophe daily writing tips. Chapter pdf available january 2012 with 1,883 reads. Im looking for a version of the book that does not include the serial comma in that example but havent found one.
The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries, or. An apostrophe question that is slightly different, i swear. The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance of escape. Jan 23, 2009 i agree that a singular noun forming a possessive always takes s. Paige so today, were gonna talk about apostrophes and plurals. When an article is written by two people, is an apostrophes added to both authors s names, or only the second author s name. It denotes a guidebook or manual, but literally means go with me.
Then the whole issue devolves into the murk when we use the possessive of a noun that ends in s. Today were going to start talking about a different piece of punctuation and that piece of punctuation is the apostrophe it kind of looks like a comma, but it s one that floats in the air here s the ground, here s the word ground, and if we say paige s dog atti were using the apostrophe, not. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. Strunk and whites the elements of style daily writing tips. Strunk and white says charles s is correct is this still the case. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. Unfortunately strunk and white the elements of style is now available free, whilst professor pullums latest book costs. He was hired to revise the book for rerelease after strunk died, and he nearly doubled the length of the book with his additions. Forming possessives of words ending in s or an s sound by karen yin 9 comments im going to focus on the difference between how the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style handle possessives for words ending in s or an s sound. You want to know if it is still the case that charles s is grammatically correct, as prescribed by strunk and white over fifty years ago. William strunk s the elements of styles has been loved and considered to be one of authoritative manual for writers on this regard. The apostrophe has been partnered up with the letter s in a few different roles over the last 500 years, and as with many relationships the goalposts have shifted a little over time.
The pronominal possessives hers, its, theirs, yours, and oneself have no apostrophe. The plural form of most sh names is formed by adding s or occasionally es or. I believe there is a comma after read it in the third example in strunk and whites elements of style. How do i know when the apostrophe should be before and when it should be after the s. May 27, 2019 be consistent when you use apostrophes after words that end in s. Contributions to the project gutenberg literary archive foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by u. Pdf style, usage, grammar, and punctuation ch 4 researchgate. Just add an apostrophe after the final s politics impact the united states influence on commerce general motors market share. Strunk and white provide interesting and useful hints, but be. Here s how the original strunk and white stated the same rule. Save considerably by purchasing the complete 11rule quiz set, which correlates with strunk and white s primar. The elements of style, by william strunka project gutenberg. If it appears after the s, then it will most likely be plural, i.
In its place, the following sentence has been added. Aug 12, 2016 but when it comes to writing well, youd be hardpressed to find better advice than that contained in william strunk, jr. Thus write, red, white, and blue honest, energetic, but headstrong he. Learn strunk white with free interactive flashcards. B whites former professor composed this miniguide to editing content and the style of minimalism in writing, which he in turn published on a larger scale and added some of his own wisdom to. In this video, we examine ten principles of good writing, including make the. We have had two questions about use of the apostrophe.
Voiceover hello grammarians hello paige, voiceover hi, david. The apostrophe probably causes more grief than all of the other punctuation marks put together. Also strunk and white the elements of style is a small pocket sized reference, whilst pullums the cambridge grammar of the english language is a 1764 page brick. White 18991985, a former student of strunks and today probably best. Choose from 171 different sets of strunk white flashcards on quizlet. Many writers make the mistake of adding just an apostrophe to form the possessive of singular nouns ending in. When indicating possession of a word that ends in s, is it correct to repeat the s after using an apostrophe. This may look like it is simply an argument about style, but it is also a matter of how we understand the structure of th. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake.
The dumbeddown version adds an apostrophe after the s to simplify the rule on apostrophes. William strunks elements of style arbortown properties. The fourth edition of the elements of style 2000, published 54 years after strunk s death, omits his stylistic advice about masculine pronouns. I understood that making text entities with nonletter characters into a plural form, you separate the s from the term with an apostrophe 1900s, jones, smiths, or bang. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term. While styles of writing vary according to each writer s own preference some guidelines are inevitable to enhance writing clearer for readers. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. We talked about this a little bit in our introduction to the apostrophe video. If you do not have this handbook, you can use this work book alone. According to associated press style, theyre all correct from the lonely apostrophe after james to the apostrophe plus s after max to the two different ways of forming the possessive of the. A contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words that omits certain letters or sounds. It also provides additional rules regarding the proper use of quotation marks, parentheses, and other matters. Chicago manual prefers the s, but indicates that it is acceptable especially in journalism to omit it. Mark garvey relates the history of the book in stylized.
Garner, strunk, white, and fowler all agree, which to me is the beall and endall of the matter. What distinct difference is there between the use of an apostrophe. In most cases, you make a possessive out of proper nouns such as people s names by adding an apostrophe and an s. When an article is written by two people, is an apostrophe. According to my grammar research, either is permissible. The associated press stylebook calls for singular proper names ending in s to solely have an apostrophe. However, if the name or word itself ends in s for example, dress or ozymandias, then you find yourself in muddier waters. Form the possessive case of a plural noun by adding an apostrophe after the final letter if it is an s or by adding s if the final letter is not an s.
When someones name ends with an s, it is acceptable to use an apostrophe without an s to show ownership, but linguists with the chicago manual of style, along with others, prefer to add an s after the apostrophe. Form the possessive of all singular nouns, even those ending in. Personally, i think one way is better, but i just got paper revisions back changing it to the alternative way. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. White s the elements of style, i am struck by its complete assurance about controversies that have led to fisticuffs, chairthrowing and bottles broken over heads in the seedier waterfront writer dives. B white s former professor composed this miniguide to editing content and the style of minimalism in writing, which he in turn published on a. How does one account for authoritative advice on writing style. Most lessons ask the student to write sentences demonstrating a particular rule. James s words james s sake james s seat but jesus words. The apostrophe is used to mark omitted letters in contractions. It is the case that charless is still grammatically correct, because writing reflects speech and most native speakers still pronounce the s twice. This confusion became apparent when our last lawprose lesson.
The possessive form of plural nouns and singular nouns ending in s such as boys, dogs, soldiers, princess is indicated by placing an apostrophe at the end of the word, but no s after the apostrophe. Pdf a supplement to strunk and whites the elements of style. Be consistent when you use apostrophes after words that end in s. Thus write, red, white, and blue honest, energetic, but headstrong he opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents. The dogma often attributed to strunk is addressed in the forward by e. In the names of business firms the last comma is usually omitted.
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