ags@pucc-k (Seaman) (11/23/83)
I don't think the common "it's" error has to do with "trying to hard to be correct." I think it has to do with people thinking that possessives must have apostrophes. Another example I saw was on a large banner hanging over Main Street in Lafayette, Indiana: LAFAYETTE LOVES ITS' [sic] CHILDREN Dave Seaman ..!pur-ee!pucc-k!ags
ags%pucc-k@phs.UUCP (Seaman) (11/23/83)
References: <1808@ihnss.UUCP> Relay-Version:version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site duke.UUCP Posting-Version:version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pucc-k Path:duke!decvax!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:Pucc-I:Pucc-K:ags Message-ID:<121@pucc-k> Date:Wed, 23-Nov-83 11:22:39 EST Organization:Purdue University Computing Center I don't think the common "it's" error has to do with "trying to hard to be correct." I think it has to do with people thinking that possessives must have apostrophes. Another example I saw was on a large banner hanging over Main Street in Lafayette, Indiana: LAFAYETTE LOVES ITS' [sic] CHILDREN Dave Seaman ..!pur-ee!pucc-k!ags
ags@pucc-k (Seaman) (11/24/83)
Did I actually type "trying to hard to be correct" ? Of course I meant "trying TOO hard to be correct." Really, I do know the difference. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be quite so touchy, but considering the subject of the note this is rather embarrassing! Dave Seaman
ags%pucc-k@phs.UUCP (Seaman) (11/24/83)
References: <1808@ihnss.UUCP> <121@pucc-k> Relay-Version:version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site duke.UUCP Posting-Version:version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pucc-k Path:duke!decvax!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:Pucc-I:Pucc-K:ags Message-ID:<123@pucc-k> Date:Wed, 23-Nov-83 16:44:46 EST Organization:Purdue University Computing Center Did I actually type "trying to hard to be correct" ? Of course I meant "trying TOO hard to be correct." Really, I do know the difference. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be quite so touchy, but considering the subject of the note this is rather embarrassing! Dave Seaman
grass@uiuccsb.UUCP (11/26/83)
#R:ihnss:-180800:uiuccsb:10500013:000:1003
uiuccsb!grass Nov 25 14:40:00 1983
It seems to me that using "it's" as a possessive is a matter of confusing two
paradigms, the possessive of nouns, and the possessive of pronouns.
nouns: John's dog's dogs' etc., etc.
pronouns: his her/ hers its
"her" and "it" can occur alone, so there is a temptation to apply
the noun paradigm to them. (giving possesive *"her's" and *"it's").
(example sentence: *"This book is her's").
**"hi" never occurs alone, so NO (or virtually no) native English speaker ever
makes the mistake of writing **"hi's book" or **"This book is hi's")
Usually if you point out to people that "its" is part of a set
that includes "his", they are less tempted to make that error.
Possessives are nasty... consider:
This is Jane's toy. This is her toy. This toy is hers.
This is the dog's toy. This is its toy. ??This toy is its.
I suspect the last one (??) is ungrammatical. At that point, you
have to supply the poor dog with a gender. I don't blame anyone
for getting confused.stevens@inuxh.UUCP (W Stevens) (11/28/83)
Sign on a store in West Lafayette, Indiana: WHATEVER YOUR LOOKING FOR IS AT <name of store> -- Scott Stevens -- AT&T Consumer Products Laboratories -- Indianapolis, Indiana -- UUCP: inuxh!stevens
brat@gatech.UUCP (Steven Goldberg) (12/01/83)
> ..trying-to-hard-to-be-correct..
Please, if you're going to comment on grammar, at least make sense.
I assume you meant to say "trying-too-hard-to-be-correct," but it seriously
took me quite a while to figure that out! "Too" has two o's! It is
relatively funny, however, that you made yet another typical screwup
while mentioning the phrase "between you and I" which is obviously
incorrect. Of course, you could have typed two o's and the terminal
just absorbed one of them, I understand (i.e., typo), but it's just a
little funny..
Steven
--
Steven L. Goldberg
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...!duke!mcnc!msdc!gatech!Bratbrat@gatech.UUCP (Steven Goldberg) (12/01/83)
Sorry.. Didn't see the correction in time.. Forgive the attack!
Steven
--
Steven L. Goldberg
CSNet: Brat @ GaTech ARPA: Brat.GaTech @ UDel-Relay
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