E
Edward Dolan
Guest
"Mike Kruger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "bryanska" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> >WTF is up with the constant there/their-its/it's-car's/cars mess??????
>>
>> Apostrophe usage in this country is down the tubes. Especially with
>> acronyms.
>>
>> If Newsgroups is abbreviated NG, then...
>>
>> NG's is possesive. Something belongs to the newsgroup.
>>
>> NGs is plural. More than one newsgroup.
>>
>> IT IS THAT SIMPLE, but even professional sign makers are clueless...
>>
> No. It's not that simple. So far as I learned it, the plural of NG is
> NG's. The plurals of abbreviations and acronyms use an apostrophe before
> the s. I always use this in my writing, and as this is technical
> specifications there are lots of abbreviations and acrynoms, such as UPC's
> and EAN's. I've never had this questioned even though I work with a bunch
> of nitpickers.
>
> I shouldn't have to reference this basic bit of junior high English, but
> since you will probably insist I will refer you to:
> http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutspelling/pizza
>
> There's an extensive discussion of this topic (including indications that
> the rule can be either NGs or NG's) at
> http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=499296
I will admit that NGs just does not look right. I always want to put an
apostrophe before the s too when writing the plural for an acronym. And then
someone will point out to me that only the possessive takes an apostrophe.
But like I said, it just doesn't look right.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
news:[email protected]...
> "bryanska" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> >WTF is up with the constant there/their-its/it's-car's/cars mess??????
>>
>> Apostrophe usage in this country is down the tubes. Especially with
>> acronyms.
>>
>> If Newsgroups is abbreviated NG, then...
>>
>> NG's is possesive. Something belongs to the newsgroup.
>>
>> NGs is plural. More than one newsgroup.
>>
>> IT IS THAT SIMPLE, but even professional sign makers are clueless...
>>
> No. It's not that simple. So far as I learned it, the plural of NG is
> NG's. The plurals of abbreviations and acronyms use an apostrophe before
> the s. I always use this in my writing, and as this is technical
> specifications there are lots of abbreviations and acrynoms, such as UPC's
> and EAN's. I've never had this questioned even though I work with a bunch
> of nitpickers.
>
> I shouldn't have to reference this basic bit of junior high English, but
> since you will probably insist I will refer you to:
> http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutspelling/pizza
>
> There's an extensive discussion of this topic (including indications that
> the rule can be either NGs or NG's) at
> http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=499296
I will admit that NGs just does not look right. I always want to put an
apostrophe before the s too when writing the plural for an acronym. And then
someone will point out to me that only the possessive takes an apostrophe.
But like I said, it just doesn't look right.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota