More pop culture goodness and a grammar lesson

[raybear]

1. Did anyone alive actually buy Natalie Merchant's last CD (Motherland) and if so, was it any good?

2. The following songs seems to play in every grocery store in the Chicago area when I'm there shopping: Jewel's Standing Still; Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight's "Love Is"; something from Rod Stewart circa 1993; Phil Collins's "Groovy Kind of Love".

3. Was TLC really working on an album, or did they throw that isht together this summer using outtakes and answering machine messages recorded by Left Eye?

4. I hereby ban the phrase "this is the remix". No artist is allowed to title an album with it, nor are they allowed to say it an any point in a song.

5. How long do you think the trend of people buying CD's based on car commercials will last?

Today's Grammar Lesson: When making a word possessive, the rule is to use an "apostrophe s" unless the word is already plural AND ends in "s". If the word just ends in S, but is not plural, you add an apostrophe S, not just an apostrophe. (e.g. Venus's, Mr. Jones's, bus's) Think of it phonetically. You say both S's, so write both S's.

I thought this lesson was covered very early on the American grammar career, but I think people forgot it the year after and I've been fighting this battle since middle school. Of course, I had a rather fascist and highly passionate drill sergeant of an English teacher for most of my schooling. But I won't give up. Tomorrow's lesson: the predicate nominative!

Comments

[legalmoose]

Unless adding the extra syllable would be awkward, then you only put on the apostrophe.

i.e., Jesus' wine; Moses' ark; New Orleans' restaurants.

[limenal.livejournal.com]

So...it's discretionary? I've been struggling with this for years.

[legalmoose]

Depends on the reference text you use. Unlike France we have no one, central authority on "official" language for English, so the rules frequently have variations.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

That's not the lesson I learned. What exactly would be the definiton of awkward in this context? Personally, Jesus's wine or Moses's ark doesn't seem awkward at all.

I even was nerdy and looked up the rule on a couple websites, including these:
The English Professor
Lesson Tutor

[legalmoose]

I was using the Gregg reference manual from one of our secretaries.

I'll have to see what Strunk and White say on it - they're my usual source and bible for such things.

[vfc.livejournal.com]

Okay, here goes (keep in mind I work with AP style):

's unless:

1. It is a proper noun that ends in s ("I think Jesus' beard is sexy.")
2. It is a common noun that ends in s that is followed by a word beginning with s ("I'm sick of listening to that actress' story.")
3. It is a noun that is plural in form but singular in meaning (i.e. mathematics, measles)
4. It is a plural noun ending in s ("That is the the room the girls share. It is the girls' room.")

[raybear.livejournal.com]

I never learned AP -- only MLA. But I can get behind this because there are concrete rules to follow, versus just a general "at your discretion" or "it seems awkward" way of grammar.

I heard you preferred gouging out your eyeballs instead of watching 'Dancer in the Dark'. I too am deferring from the Harry Potter viewing tomorrow afternoon, and I might walk down to Second Hand Tunes and other things near your neck of the woods. Want to do something in the afternoon and/or do something in the evening involving the new episode of Simpsons?

Off to watch Bjork get iced!

Re:

[vfc.livejournal.com]

Maybe. My parents are coming sometime in the morning/early afternoon to drop off some stuff for me, but I'm not exactly sure when. Maybe gimme a call before you leave on your ventures. I doubt I'm game for Simpsons viewing. I have a long-distance telephone date around 7. Heh.