tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post738914428703875311..comments2022-03-25T02:16:43.342-05:00Comments on Magdalena Lamont - Poetry From the Other Side: Apostrophe AtrocitiesNissa Annakindthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16289000116822109714noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-61808608872851481542012-01-31T12:18:00.904-06:002012-01-31T12:18:00.904-06:00I have heard of the book 'Eats, Shoots and Lea...I have heard of the book 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves', but was never enough of a grammar snob to buy it.<br /><br />I don't actually have a problem with writers who violate grammar rules that the average English speaker no longer uses in speech.<br /><br />My case against the apostrophe atrocities is not based on grammar as much as on the fact that mistakes in the area make one look very ignorant.Nissa Annakindthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16289000116822109714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-14160489332465161732012-01-31T11:53:10.706-06:002012-01-31T11:53:10.706-06:00I presume you have the incomparable Lynn Truss'...I presume you have the incomparable Lynn Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' on your grammar bookshelf?Sheila Maisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17915101800598362007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-37492608396687613942011-08-25T09:36:16.926-05:002011-08-25T09:36:16.926-05:00My own grammar knowledge comes almost entirely fro...My own grammar knowledge comes almost entirely from being a voracious reader as a child, back in the days when books had proofreaders. So I don't have any strong issues about phrases like 'real cute' in colloquial language. I've realized I actually DO have a problem with 'really cute': the use of the word 'really' violates the dictum 'avoid unnecessary words'. And I wouldn't use the word 'cute', myself, in anything that wasn't colloquial.<br />Apostrophe atrocities, on the other hand, tick me off to the point that I'd tell people who can't do apostrophes correctly to just never use apostrophes at all, and claim to be in favor of spelling reform. ;)Nissa Annakindthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16289000116822109714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-83078141752388798972011-08-24T20:29:26.800-05:002011-08-24T20:29:26.800-05:00I got a book written by one of my cousins recently...I got a book written by one of my cousins recently. The dedication page has an apostrophe atrocity. A plural noun had been made possessive when it wasn't supposed to be. <br /><br />The book was, in part, about schools. **shudder**<br /><br />"My inner grammar teacher is a real snob, and no fun at parties, whatsoever."<br /><br />Can I laugh at the placement of <i>whatsoever</i> in that sentence?<br /><br />And I am so glad you two are "commenting" to each other.PaperSmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08813068522979861687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-30077066976377571002011-08-24T10:46:00.709-05:002011-08-24T10:46:00.709-05:00My feeling was that a person who committed that ma...My feeling was that a person who committed that many apostrophe atrocities in one sentence would say 'real cute' rather than 'really cute'.Nissa Annakindthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16289000116822109714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876690550286233145.post-33649212713736134442011-08-24T10:32:44.717-05:002011-08-24T10:32:44.717-05:00My inner grammar teacher wants to tell you that, w...My inner grammar teacher wants to tell you that, while you have fixed the apostrophal problems, the sentence still has grammatical issues. It should read, "really cute," not "real cute."<br /><br />The exception lies in the possibility that you are quoting someone who is--for lack of education or for character-dialectical reasons--speaking in a grammatically-incorrect manner.<br /><br />My inner grammar teacher is a real snob, and no fun at parties, whatsoever.Allen's Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15017088126061040113noreply@blogger.com