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| Thread ID: 24268 | 2002-09-07 03:08:00 | attn: Billy T | honeylaser (814) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 77325 | 2002-09-09 04:49:00 | Well I was 99% convinced you were right, but a check in the Oxford confirmed it! Thanks! | Greg S (201) | ||
| 77326 | 2002-09-09 08:06:00 | I'm with you Graham! I'm not particularly well trained in formal English either, but having been a voracious reader all my life I knows what I likes and I likes what I know! My personal answer to the its vs it's conundrum is simple. For the possessive its, just show me what "it" is. In my book "it" can't possess anything, whereas it's, as a contraction of it is, needs the apostrophe in the same way as any other two words contracted like don't won't can't etc. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 77327 | 2002-09-09 21:26:00 | My understanding of all this is that the apostrophe is used in two situations: (a) to indicate possession e.g. Dave’s car, or (b) to indicate a contraction e.g. can’t for cannot and it’s for it is. The exception is that you don’t use “it’s” for possession by an object. However, I think that the possessive apostrophe thing may have arisen out an original contraction back in the days of yore in the history of the English language. I think “Dave’s car” is a contraction of what once would have been the possessive expression “Dave his car”. I came to this conclusion when I noticed on an old map of Ireland that the ditch between Wales and Eire was named “St. George his Channel”. Today it’s named “St. George’s Channel”. I’m not a professor of English or even a student of it but this is my theory and I think it’s quite interesting. Does anyone know something more about this? (Getting off topic). |
Basil Pesto (541) | ||
| 77328 | 2002-09-09 22:19:00 | I'll run with that Basil . It makes sense to me and fits perfectly with my admittedly informal knowledge of the development of the language . I've read a reasonable amount of information on the subject over the years and the evolution of archaic forms of speech into modern language is quite interesting . No doubt some scholar will confirm or deny in due course . Press F1 has experts in all fields! Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 77329 | 2002-09-09 23:32:00 | OK - changes have been made. Anyone feel like rechecking? | honeylaser (814) | ||
| 77330 | 2002-09-09 23:44:00 | on www.elitesystems.co.nz there is a very tiny link www.elitesystems.co.nz and the same for www.elitesystems.co.nz link on some pages. concidering i have 19" screen will anyone see those links with a 15"? only brief look, but a huge improvement over the last one. |
tweak'e (174) | ||
| 77331 | 2002-09-10 00:13:00 | Looks sharp >>>>>---- ! :) | Basil Pesto (541) | ||
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