[Gllug] Monthly GLLUG grammar report (Seriously OT now!)

[Dylan]

On Tuesday 26 November 2002 08:38, John Winters wrote:
> On Mon, 2002-11-25 at 23:15, Dylan wrote:
> > On Monday 25 November 2002 23:00, Jonathan Harker wrote:
> > > On Tuesday 26 Nov 2002 10:35 am, Dylan wrote:
> > > > > Your welcome             =   You're welcome
> > > >
> > > > The baneful apostrophe. Still, if we were taught what they were for
> > > > rather than when to use them it might be easier!
> > >
> > > OH, and my favourite:
> > >
> > > it's = it is
> > > its  = belonging to it
> >
> > The problem here, I think, is that according to the basic rule they BOTH
> > need one: contraction and genitive. Why the pattern
> > his/its/hers/yours/ours isn't pointed out I'll never know!
>
> What do you mean it isn't pointed out?  Don't children still learn?
>
> "To show possession, put an apostrophe S on all words, singular or
> plural, except where there is a plural S in which case put the
> apostrophe after the S.  There are five exceptions - ours, yours, hers,
> its, theirs."

Six, in fact: his < he's (genitive _'s_) in the formation and structure of the 
pronoun paradigm. And they aren't exceptions, they are part of a different 
rule.

>
> One of many things we had to learn off by heart.

Indeed, if one is over 25. But learning by rote is futile when it comes to 
language.

Dylan

-- 
"Sweet moderation
Heart of this nation
Desert us not, we are
Between the wars"

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