Apostrophe S

ManlyBanisters

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I disagree with your assessment. It's still a bit of a run-on sentence in this case. I'd just break it into two related sentences because it's comprised of separate but related thoughts.

"The economy has been sluggish for four years now. However, some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show."

Sure - that works fine. But it is a rewriting without a clause. It doesn't change how a clause should be punctuated without the conjunction.

vince's question was:
Would the following be correct?-
"The economy has been sluggish for four years now; some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show." The co-ordinating conjunction 'but' has been removed.

The removal of the conjunction 'but' brings us back to the rule about a linking a dependant clause or phrase to an independant clause:

Do not use a semicolon to link a dependent clause or a phrase to an independent clause.
[WRONG] Although gaining and maintaining a high level of physical fitness takes a good deal of time; the effort pays off in the long run.
Although gaining and maintaining a high level of physical fitness takes a good deal of time, the effort pays off in the long run.​
 
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DC_DEEP

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Are there any cute phrases to remember that "its" is the one that breaks the rule of possession??
"It" is a pronoun, and pronouns usually have backward rules from nouns. Possessive nouns "possess" the apostrophe, possessive pronouns do not.

Another quick trick is to change the person of the pronoun to see if it matches; none of the possesive pronouns takes an apostrophe: my weight, your weight, his weight, her weight, its weight, our weight, your weight, their weight.

All the contracted "pronoun+to be" forms do take an apostrophe: I'm here, you're here, he's here, she's here, it's here, we're here, you're here, they're here.
 

D_Tintagel_Demondong

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Oooh, oooh, and I forgot the WORST of all:

The use of the possessive case where it is just wrong (as an overcompensation of being corrected too many times for using it instead of the nominative...)

Our neighbors invited my husband and I to a dinner party.

Cringe!!!


As long as we're all trying to keep the modicum of grammar intact that English still claims as part of its language structure, we should relax... this is sooooo much easier than French, German, Spanish etc. where verb endings, cases, plural forms and other exotic critters are still a much more "required" component :cool:

I use a simple rule: if the sentence still makes sense without the other noun, then the case is grammatical.

For example, Our neighbors invited I to a dinner party. In this case, this sentence doesn't make sense.
 
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DC_DEEP

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I use a simple rule: if the sentence still makes sense without the other noun, then the case is grammatical.

For example, Our neighbors invited I to a dinner party. In this case, this sentence doesn't make sense.
I used to use the same rule, until the nominative and objective just became second nature.

Me and my husband got an invitation to dinner. (cringe)

But in your example, wouldn't it just be easier to use the plural pronoun?

"Our neighbors invited we to a dinner party."

Sorry, rec, I just simply could not resist! :scool:
 

WifeOfBath

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Sure - that works fine. But it is a rewriting without a clause. It doesn't change how a clause should be punctuated without the conjunction.

vince's question was:


The removal of the conjunction 'but' brings us back to the rule about a linking a dependant clause or phrase to an independant clause:

But aren't the two parts of the sentence independent clauses, thus requiring a semicolon?

Stolen from an internet site:

"An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence."

I had a grammar nazi for a teacher in 5th grade. Though I have forgotten more than what I remember, grammar still fascinates me.
 

ManlyBanisters

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But aren't the two parts of the sentence independent clauses, thus requiring a semicolon?

Yes - I was misappropriating the rule I quoted - in the rule I quoted the first clause is a dependant clause, it has an 'although', sorry. And sorry vince - WoB's right there, and so was your original example - I was just misreading that example and then managed to confuse myself because I (naturally) assumed I was right :rolleyes:

Bingo.
Without the conjunction, that's exactly what they are.
(But it's weird not to have the conjunction; the meaning is not as clear.)

You think? - they both feel about the same to me.
 

Mem

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Apostrophe's
Apostrophes'
Apostrophees
Apostrophies
:confused:
 

tiggerpoo

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I didn't want to have a go at a user in a thread for getting it wrong - that would have been OT and singling one person out for a mistake that I see many people making.

I thought posting a separate thread and having it out there might just cause it to sink in for a few people who didn't know they were making a mistake, but without actually picking on any individual.

Well, thank you. :wink:

How many bikes does one pig need and who has bikes with bells on these days, you'd be better getting a horn.

Love it. :biggrin1:
 

ManlyBanisters

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vince

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I'm glad I read through the whole thread before posting again. As WoB pointed out, both clauses contain a subject and a verb. It just didn't read right with the comma. It's kinda of a bad example really and you're correct, a different construction would be best. I'd start it with "Although the economy as been...et cetera.

I have often been guilty of using it's instead of its. I don't think I'll make that error again! The things you can learn on a Big Cock site...:wink:
 

D_Gunther Snotpole

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You think? - they both feel about the same to me.

I think, with the conjunction, it's much clearer.
Here is Vince's original question:

Would the following be correct?-
"The economy has been sluggish for four years now; some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show." The co-ordinating conjunction 'but' has been removed.

The second clause takes one off in a new direction. This fact is obvious enough on a reasonably close reading, but the conjunction sends the reader off on that new direction.

"The economy has been sluggish for four years now; some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show,"

is, in my mind (others may differ), much less clear than:

"The economy has been sluggish for four years now, but some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show."