Girls the possessive plural, as in the girls purses all were black. Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms grammar girl. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Remember that phenomenon is singular by noting that the non at the end sounds like one. Since this pattern violates the rule that apostrophes are not used before an s indicating a plural, many. An abbreviation, also called an initialism, is pronounced letter by letter. The plurals of abbreviations and acronyms grammar monster.
Apostrophes and plurals grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Also, fogarty is okay with using their as a singular pronoun instead of his or her. Theyre designed to save time and take up less space whether youre typing or writing by hand, and can even make your writing. Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. For instance, writing the 1960s when referring to that entire decade is. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. For questions not covered by this book, use the plural that websters new world college dictionary lists as most. The crux of the problem is that soss cannot serve as both a genitive.
As a general rule, use only an s or an es without an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns including dates, acronyms, and family names. What is the correct way to portray nouns that end in y when necessary to indicate they could be singular or plural. Jul 01, 2014 in english, we form the plurals of nouns by adding s to the singular. So with regard to acronymsinitialisms ending in s, and assuming that s is correct for the end of the word, if the initialism actually ends in an s, is there a rule for whether this should be written as s or. Facility or facilities and one or more facilities are both clear. Hgvs sign if youre a grammar pedant like me, signs like this or ones advertising cds for sale will most likely make your. If the compound is pluralized, the plural morpheme attaches only to the second element, not to the first, or to both. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in nato north atlantic treaty organization or eu european union, but sometimes using syllables, as in benelux belgium, netherlands and luxembourg, or a mixture of the two, as in radar radio detection and ranging. New york times bestselling author mignon fogarty shares her weekly grammar girl podcast and video tips about english, grammar, and writing.
With the chicago guide to grammar, usage, and punctuation, he has written the definitive guide for writers who want their prose to be both memorable and correct. In the past, some publications used apostrophes to make acronyms and abbreviations plural, so until a few years ago, it was common to see something like rbis or cds in the new york. However, as grammar monster points out, you can use an apostrophe to show a plural if it assists your reader. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. Regular english plurals fall into three classes, depending upon the sound that ends the singular form. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Whether youre thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry or you just have a curiosity as the patient in the chair, getting a grasp on the lingo can come in handy. Mignon fogarty, grammar girl, wrote a nyt bestseller, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. The book i recommend to eld students is grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students.
The plural morpheme in english is suffixed to the end of most nouns. Learn grammar girl with free interactive flashcards. Nouns ending in s, sh, ch and x, form their plurals by adding es to the singular. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Get grammar girls take on abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. Oct 10, 2006 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Girls the possesive singular, as in the girls bike was new. Whether you are a grammar phobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing will likely satisfy. How do you pluralize an acronym where the plural form of the word written out.
Girls two, so its plural girls one girl, but it is possessive it shows what is hers, what belongs to her girls more than one girl, still possessive imagine it this way. The same rule applies to the plural form of any other type of number, such as describing someones age e. I would expect to hear the fbi, because fbi is an initialism aloud. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, right up to the structure of whole.
Jan 01, 2008 to the delight of word nerds everywhere, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing came out yesterday. This page has examples of plurals of abbreviations and an interactive exercise worksheet. At the first mention, always write the full name, followed by the acronym in. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. For example, i was editing a book where a person received a gift of a pair of.
Joan heminway, professor at the university of tennessee college of law, sent the following inquiry to me and one of her colleagues in commenting on student work, i have noticed over. Unusual plurals of abbreviations grammar and punctuation. Democracies allow the existence of pluralistic societies. The 2009 ap stylebooks plurals entry has no section on acronyms, but. May 16, 2016 one unusual use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like icbms ngos and cds. Grammar at a glance i bet you thought grammar couldnt get any more quick and dirty than it did in the previous pages, but heres the quickest grammar of all, culled from lengthier explanations found elsewhere in this book. Aug 28, 2018 grammar girl provides short, useful tips on grammar that are easy to remember and easy to put into practice. My biggest beef, though, is with the erroneous use of apostrophes to pluralize acronyms and abbreviations like ceos, gis, and cds. Abbreviations and acronyms are shorter versions of existing words and phrases. Making french nouns plural, however, takes a different tack when it comes to family names and nouns that end in s, x, or. The plural of an abbreviation or acronym is shown by adding s to the end. The general approach is to derive the plural according to how an abbreviation, acronym etc. Acronyms ending in the letter s take es in the plural. The apostrophe with numbers, letters, and abbreviations.
Describes a noun or pronounfor example, a tall girl, an interesting book, a big house. Rules regarding the formation of plurals english grammar. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon. The crux of the problem is that soss cannot serve as both a genitive singular and a nominative plural, because you then run into a brick wall trying to make a genitive plural. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. Fourth grade teacher, las vegas public school system whether you are a grammarphobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girls quick and.
Here is another excerpt from grammar girls newest book. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Unless your editor wishes otherwise, if you write books, spell it dos. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. A common mistake people make is to include apostrophes when pluralizing a number or an abbreviation. Remember, the plural of child is children, not childrens. Jun 02, 2016 in the past, some publications used apostrophes to make acronyms and abbreviations plural, so until a few years ago, it was common to see something like rbis or cds in the new york times.
Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real. Whenever its full form federal bureau of investigation is normally preceded by the, i would expect its initialized form to be as well. He said it was a good book for improving my english. As she does in previous volumesgrammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing 2008 and the grammar devotional 2009fogarty affects an earnest and upbeat tone to dissuade those who think a grammar book has to be annoying, boring, and confusing and takes on the role of grammar guide, intent on demystifying grammar.
Puede ser posesivo, numeral, demostrativo casa bgrandeb, mujer baltab. One unusual use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like icbms ngos and cds. Separate entries in this book give plurals for troublesome words and guidance on whether certain words should be used with singular or plural verbs and pronouns. Pluralize numbers and abbreviations without apostrophes. The plurals for capital letters and numbers used as nouns are not formed with apostrophes. The chicago guide to grammar, usage, and punctuation by. If the name ends in s, like charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add s. This is a fine distinction that some consider nitpicking. Both acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed by combining the first letter of each word in a longer name or phrase. English grammar is the way in which meanings are encoded into wordings in the english language. These days, you can usually get your editor or editorial assistant to live link the glossary entries to the actual usage of such terms in text. Revisiting use of quotation marks when creating defined.
Some publications put periods after each letter, arguing that because each letter is essentially an abbreviation for a word, periods are necessary. How to make rbi plural grammar girl quick and dirty tips. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words. The word the is one of the most common words in english. Irony is the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. No specific source except every english grammar text book. But few are as familiar with term initialism, or of an important distinction between the two an acronym is an initial abbreviation that can be pronounced as a word. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar. However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe. Choose from 265 different sets of grammar girl flashcards on quizlet. You should only use an apostrophe in the plural of an abbreviation, a letter, or a number to assist your reader. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that. Acronyms are pronounced as a words, while initialisms have each of their letters pronounced individually. Today, all major publications and style guides im aware of recommend simply adding an s without an apostrophe.
Learn the differences among abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. To the delight of word nerds everywhere, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing came out yesterday. Terms such as fbi, hmo, and naacp, although widely called acronyms, are actually abbreviations. Describes a noun or pronounfor example, a tall girl, an interesting book. In fact, grammar girl has appeared or been mentioned on the oprah winfrey show, the new york times, and usa today, to name a few. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. Theres no strict rule about putting periods after each letter in an acronym or initialism. It can be confusing, since its the rpart run that is becoming plural. Since this pattern violates the rule that apostrophes are not used before an s indicating a plural, many people object to it. Style guides for book and academic publishing generally would.
Singular phenomenon criterion plural phenomena criteria quick and dirty tip. Generally, you dont use apostrophes to make words or abbreviations plural e. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students. Do not use an apostrophe before the s unless the apostrophe significantly helps the readers. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. Mar 19, 2018 grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing is a very modern book, discussing rules for email and twitter, how to punctuate urls, and the proper way cite websites in news articles or papers. Try not to use unfamiliar acronyms in your introductory paragraph. If you saw that on the menu at your favorite restaurant, theres a good chance youd just order a blt, not a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Notes from the newsroom on grammar, usage and style. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary.
Even if there is no real ambiguity, it will at least make the reader pause momentarily to check whether the apostrophe shows a plural or a possessive noun. Grammar girls 101 troublesome words youll master in no time. Use apostrophes for plurals of abbreviations that have capital letters and periods. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. Her tips are available in audio format as a podcast, in text format on her blog, and as a fulllength, comprehensive book that is informative and fun to read. Rbis acronyms are abbreviations that are pronounced as words nasa, and initialisms are abbreviations for which you say each letter fbi. Sosss or some such similar silliness simply doesnt work. This book is wrote by mignon fogarty grammar girl is what she called herself. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. This is what makes acronyms uniqueyou can read them as they. Plural acronyms without an apostrophe not only look neater but are also clearly not possessive nouns. Apostrophes are generally used in contractions and to indicate the possessive case, but they are not used to form plurals of numbers and abbreviations in apa style.
When writing a book or long report, create a glossary to help the reader keep track of specialized acronyms, terms and abbreviations in longer documents. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements. Create plural nouns in french by adding an s or x, or by substituting aux for al. Plural so we all know that apostrophes are used to show possession.
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