Dave wrote:
Methinks your leg was being pulled.

The SWR with the apostrophe s is a grammatical error. The apostrophe s
indicates that the SWR is possessive, that the SWR owns something; or,
that the SWR is doing something. The apostrophe s is not plural!!

On the contrary, the plural of the letter A is A's. The plural
of the number 3 is 3's. It's not too much of a stretch to assume
that the plural of SWR is SWR's.

From Webster's: "apostrophe - a make used to indicate ... the
plural of letters or figures."
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

"Cecil Moore" wrote ...
Dave wrote:
Methinks your leg was being pulled.

The SWR with the apostrophe s is a grammatical error. The apostrophe
s indicates that the SWR is possessive, that the SWR owns something;
or, that the SWR is doing something. The apostrophe s is not plural!!

On the contrary, the plural of the letter A is A's. The plural
of the number 3 is 3's. It's not too much of a stretch to assume
that the plural of SWR is SWR's.

From Webster's: "apostrophe - a make used to indicate ... the
plural of letters or figures."

To take the argument well into absurdity (as if it
needed any help), we can discuss whether your
Webster's is descriptive or prescriptive.

Richard Crowley wrote:
"Cecil Moore" wrote ...
From Webster's: "apostrophe - a make used to indicate ... the
plural of letters or figures."

To take the argument well into absurdity (as if it
needed any help), we can discuss whether your
Webster's is descriptive or prescriptive.

That definition agrees with what I learned in English
class 50+ years ago. The plural of a number uses an
apostrophe. So 73's would indeed be the plural of 73
as in "many best regards". It's no stretch to assume
that the plural of SWR would be SWR's.

Incidentally, I have an obvious typo in the definition
that the spell-checker didn't catch. Should have been:

"apostrophe - a mark used to indicate ... the plural of
letters or figures."

I have a "Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary"
which contains a "Basic Manual of Style" in the back.
Here's what it says for "Apostrophe: ... 3. To form the
plurals of letters or figures add an apostrophe and an s."
That's seems to be prescriptive.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

Richard Crowley wrote:
"Cecil Moore" wrote ...

Dave wrote:

Methinks your leg was being pulled.

The SWR with the apostrophe s is a grammatical error. The apostrophe
s indicates that the SWR is possessive, that the SWR owns something;
or, that the SWR is doing something. The apostrophe s is not plural!!


On the contrary, the plural of the letter A is A's. The plural
of the number 3 is 3's. It's not too much of a stretch to assume
that the plural of SWR is SWR's.

From Webster's: "apostrophe - a make used to indicate ... the
plural of letters or figures."


To take the argument well into absurdity (as if it
needed any help), we can discuss whether your
Webster's is descriptive or prescriptive.
good one
If I can ever help in increasing the absurdity of these newsgroups, I am
glad to do so.

BTW, all dictionaries are descriptive.

jawod wrote:
BTW, all dictionaries are descriptive.

But all Basic Manuals of Style are prescriptive.
Please see my other posting.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

Cecil Moore wrote:
jawod wrote:

BTW, all dictionaries are descriptive.


But all Basic Manuals of Style are prescriptive.
Please see my other posting.


Use of the apostrophe as a plural designation is rapidly becoming
passe'. IIRC it already is in the UK.

Possessive is the new standard.

I get my chops busted if I write with say last year's work instead of
last years work.

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -

Possessive is the new standard.

I get my chops busted if I write with say last year's work instead
of last years work.

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -



I don't understand. Possessive is the new standard? Your chops get
busted whey you write "last year's work"?
That IS possessive.

jawod writes:

I don't understand. Possessive is the new standard? Your chops get busted
whey you write "last year's work"?
That IS possessive.

Is it? I've always wondered. Does the work "belong" to last year?
Does last year "own" the work? It's *my* work that was done last year.

Curious,

// marc

"Mike Coslo" wrote in message
...



I get my chops busted if I write with say last year's work instead of
last years work.

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -


1. Too bad you have to work for/with people like that. " ... last year's
work" is correct. The possessive does not exclusively denote ownership. It
also denotes the "of or pertaining to" relationship, as in "Cleveland's bus
system."

2. I just went to the McGraw-Hill Learning Center

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/site.../chapter1/apos
trophes.html

and took their apostrophe quiz

Results Reporter
Out of 17 questions, you answered 17 correctly, for a final grade of 100%.

17 correct (100%)
0 incorrect (0%)
0 unanswered (0%)

Here's the most interesting one:

Last years womens softball team is much better than this years. [The stem
omits apostrophes.]

C) Last year's women's softball team is much better than this year's.
Feedback: Correct!

3. Despite the absolute correctness of the apostrophe for the plural of
numbers and letters, I see a lot of acronyms and abbreviations made plural
by the addition of an "s" without the apostrophe and I don't flinch. I
think the language is evolving regarding acronyms, which, after all, are
less than 100 years old. Therefore, I vote to accept "SWRs."

73,
"Sal"
(KD6VKW)

Sal M. Onella wrote:
3. Despite the absolute correctness of the apostrophe for the plural of
numbers and letters, I see a lot of acronyms and abbreviations made plural
by the addition of an "s" without the apostrophe and I don't flinch.

From what I remember, that's not universally incorrect.

Oh, and I'm taking your apostrophe quiz, and it appears there's an error
in the "correct" choice: (B) uses "its" as the contraction for "it is".
So the answer to 17 should be "None of the above". (I scored 100% also.)

Incidental note: I've never understood how people who use "it's" as a
possessive never even think to use "hi's" (though some use "her's" and
"their's").

--
Britney Spears' Guide to Semiconductor Physics
http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm