Klarinet Archive - Posting 000087.txt from 2000/12

From: A4ACHESON@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Apostrophe
Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000 04:56:19 -0500

Neil wrote,
<<You're clinging to grade-school dogma,........simply tacking an 's' onto
the end of a proper noun is also incorrect relative to the plural form ,
i.e.; Tonys.
The key issue here is context, not a set of dogmatic rules that were set in
concrete by Ms. Wizbicky back in the second grade.
In the case of "War of the Tony's," the context
makes it plain that the writer intended to pluralize a proper noun, and she
"properly" did so. Get over it.>>

Are you just winding us up, Neil?

In case not, I spoke to Ms. Wizbicky [now retired] and she quoted the
following...

Regarding plurals of proper nouns ending in 'y':-
Example:-
<<The three Marys at the Crucifixion.>>

Regarding the use of the apostrophe:-
It "may occasionally be used before a plural 's' as a device for avoiding
confusion, but this should not be extended beyond what is necessary for that
purpose... "

Fowler's Modern English Usage 2nd Edition Pub. OUP p. 457 and p.467

Now, back to Guy Legere's reeds.

Arthur Acheson

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