Kibitzer
Sky Soldier
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
- Messages
- 5,676
- Reaction Score
- 24,714
Before the real season begins, a few pointers on words that seem to be troublesome.
Let's start with nettlesome singular/plural issues:
Get out your dictionary: accept/except, lose/loose, there/their/they're, resign/re-sign,recreation/re-creation, and eager (hot to trot)/anxious (antsy).
Last, the most troublesome word(s) of all: its/it's. Some cling to the mistaken belief that you gotta have an apostrophe (') in there to denote possession. WRONG! Possession is indicated by its (NO apostrophe), whereas the apostrophe -- it's -- serves to shorten it is by using the apostrophe to pinch hit for the "i" in "is."
It's called a contraction and its purpose is to make for more peppy prose.
Enough already! Good luck!
Let's start with nettlesome singular/plural issues:
- One freshman, two or more freshmen (and freshman class).
- One Husky, two or more Huskies.
Get out your dictionary: accept/except, lose/loose, there/their/they're, resign/re-sign,recreation/re-creation, and eager (hot to trot)/anxious (antsy).
Last, the most troublesome word(s) of all: its/it's. Some cling to the mistaken belief that you gotta have an apostrophe (') in there to denote possession. WRONG! Possession is indicated by its (NO apostrophe), whereas the apostrophe -- it's -- serves to shorten it is by using the apostrophe to pinch hit for the "i" in "is."
It's called a contraction and its purpose is to make for more peppy prose.
Enough already! Good luck!
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