FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   >>  
n-tangled; col-lective; intermis-sion; ma-terials; chan-cellor; col-lege; indus-trious; sub-ject; his-tory; con-dition; Low-landers; or-ganization; re-cognized; in-famous. Some selected examples may be also given: Resem-blance; hum-ble; se-cond; trans-lator; justifi-able; east-ern; endea-vour. THE APOSTROPHE LXXIV. The apostrophe is used to indicate that some letter or letters of a word are left out. "E'er" for "ever," "can't" for "cannot," "don't" for "do not," "'gin" for "begin." The apostrophe is not used when the word, though contracted in the middle, retains its original pronunciation; as "Dr." or "Mr." But it is used where the contraction is at the end of the word: "tho'," "Peterboro'." LXXV. The apostrophe marks the possessive case of nouns. The following rules determine where it is to be placed: _Nouns in the singular number--_ (1) The letter "s" is added, and the apostrophe is placed before it. The king's abode. A patriot's reward. (2) If the nominative singular of the noun ends in "s," another "s" is not added if the repetition of hissing sounds would be displeasing to the ear. The apostrophe is then placed at the end of the word. Hercules' club. Augustus' dignity. Words of one syllable follow the first rule: "James's share." Some words of two syllables follow the first rule, some the second: "the princess's birthday"; "Francis' style." This distinction is sanctioned by usage. But it may judiciously be disregarded. In speaking we almost entirely ignore it. Why should we trouble ourselves with it in writing? _Nouns in the plural number--_ (1) The apostrophe is placed after the "s" of the plural. Boys' clothing. Our friends' troubles. (2) If the plural do not end in "s," an "s" is added, and the apostrophe is placed before it. Men's opinions. The children's pleasure. LXXVI. The apostrophe is used before the "s" of the plural when single letters are used as words. Mind your p's and q's. He does not dot his i's nor cross his t's. MARKS OF ELLIPSIS LXXVII. When, in the middle of a quotation, a part is omitted, several asterisks or several full stops are placed in a line to mark the omission. Clarendon makes the following remark about Lord Falkland: "Yet two things he could never bring himself to whilst he continued in that office, that was to his death; for
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   >>  



Top keywords:

apostrophe

 
plural
 

number

 
singular
 

letters

 

letter

 

follow

 

middle

 

writing

 

trouble


ignore

 

disregarded

 
syllables
 

princess

 

birthday

 

syllable

 
Francis
 

judiciously

 
clothing
 

distinction


sanctioned
 

speaking

 

Clarendon

 

omission

 

remark

 

omitted

 

asterisks

 

Falkland

 

continued

 

whilst


office

 

things

 

quotation

 
pleasure
 
single
 

children

 

opinions

 
friends
 

troubles

 

dignity


ELLIPSIS

 

LXXVII

 

trious

 

ganization

 

landers

 
dition
 

cellor

 
APOSTROPHE
 

blance

 

famous