The Importance of Correct Punctuation

[Hijinks]

How about the sign I saw in Walmart that said "Try some bananas, a highly nutritional food!"

What happened to "nutritious" ?

Anyone want to look up the current proper way to show plural possessive when the name ends in an S? As in Paris's versus Paris' ? Or Jones's versus Jones' ? When I was in college - up to and including 2001 - Strunk and White said it should be Paris's or Jones's, yet most publications I read use Paris' or Jones'. I prefer the former way rather than the latter - it just looks better to my eye - but I'd like to know the proper way.

 

[reveal]

How about the sign I saw in Walmart that said "Try some bananas, a highly nutritional food!"

What happened to "nutritious" ?

Anyone want to look up the current proper way to show plural possessive when the name ends in an S? As in Paris's versus Paris' ? Or Jones's versus Jones' ? When I was in college - up to and including 2001 - Strunk and White said it should be Paris's or Jones's, yet most publications I read use Paris' or Jones'. I prefer the former way rather than the latter - it just looks better to my eye - but I'd like to know the proper way.

Personally, I think it looks weird when it's Jones's. I prefer Jones' and the like.

 

[Seonaid]

If you want better published material, convince publishers to be kinder to their proofreaders and copyeditors. I, for one, would like the ability to work from home so I'm not stuck in front of a computer my whole life. I also would like to be able to see "proofreading and copy editing" as a career, not a step to "better" editing jobs. (While this is personal, it is partially influenced by the publishing world's view.)

If you are talking about plural possessives, you do not use the second "s." If you're talking about singular, it depends almost exclusively on the style guide and clarity. I prefer Jones's, because I like systems that are consistent and if there is ever a situation where clarity would be compromised, the solution is already in place. However, I've used style guides that said to leave off the last "s."

 

[Pielorinho]

I also prefer Paris's, but I don't raise a stink about it; Paris' isn't as clear, and I'm all about using punctuation to increase clarity. For that reason, I believe punctuation marks should appear outside quotation marks whenever they're not part of the quotation; to put them inside is like "totally stupid, dude".

Daniel

 

[IcyCool]

Instead, we get is something that says "If you use two spaces after a period, you are an amateur because I am an authority on the subject." This probably won't fly well with a lot of the pubslihed authors on here.

Nah, they'll just peg him as an amateur and dismiss him off-hand.

I have to admit though, two spaces after a period is what I was taught.

 

[reveal]

I have to admit though, two spaces after a period is what I was taught.

Me too. It took me years to drop the habit.

 

[Seonaid]

[P]unctuation marks should appear outside quotation marks whenever they're not part of the quotation; to put them inside is like "totally stupid, dude".

Oh, I totally agree! But nowhere have I ever seen that as correct.

 

[sniffles]

Personally, I think it looks weird when it's Jones's. I prefer Jones' and the like.

Based on popular usage, I suspect in a few years the correct form will be "Jone's", because no one knows how to use an apostrophe properly these days.

 

[IcyCool]

Based on popular usage, I suspect in a few years the correct form will be "Jone's", because no one knows how to use an apostrophe properly these days.

No no! It's proper spelling will be J0|\|3'5. Oddly enough, the day this is formally adopted as proper spelling will also be the day that thousands of grammar teachers off themselves.

 

[bodhi]

Oh, I totally agree! But nowhere have I ever seen that as correct.

The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed. describes it as "British style". There are a couple references here.

I use it because I'm a computer geek, and in code, it matters very much whether something is inside the quotes or outside. See Hacker Writing Style.