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Re: apostrophes (was Whose experience is it anyways??????)
Subject:Re: apostrophes (was Whose experience is it anyways??????) From:Susan Brown <sbrown -at- JSCSYS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 27 Feb 1997 15:35:26 -0500
At 09:36 AM 2/27/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>>Susan --
>
>> Another way of interpreting the abbreviated phrase is to include a
>>missing word that we have taken as given for so long that many of us forget
>>that good English used to require it be there. (two years worth of
>>experience) This is probably what Chicago is assuming. The years own the
>>worth, not the experience.
>
>
>The Chicago Manual is assuming no such thing. Your phrase should read:
>"...two years' worth" -- the worth of two years. As in "two years'
>time" --
>the time of two years, or "three days' pay" -- the pay of (that pertains
>to
>or belongs to) three days. Good English does not nor ever did require
>that
>the words "worth of" be inserted between "years'" and "experience." In
>fact, it's somewhat redundant.
>Said Joanna<<
>
>Well, if folks don't want to use an apostrophe with years why not say
>"two years of experience in such-and-such"?
That'll teach me to respond late at night. I really meant to
include the apostrophe: hey, the comment falls to the ground without it. I
plead finger fatigue.
Now you all can stop flaming me. Please. 19 personal messages, plus
a couple of list posts pointing out how stupid my response was is, I think,
enough already. (See typos, typoz, and other relevant threads. Also see
posting guidelines.)
I think I'll have to hire an editor for my future emails.
Smartingly yours,
Susan Brown
JSC Systems
"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you
come to the end: then stop."
- Lewis Carroll
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