[plug] Editor wars: the battle of the apostrophe

[Leon Brooks]

BillK wrote:
> Now having started an editor war, I'll sit back and watch who bite's

Who is ``bite''? (-:

Apostrophes get used for ownership, with an s if needed, e.g.:

One Fred:                     Fred
Fred owns a bicycle:          Fred's bike
Fred owns two:                Fred's bikes
One has a bell:               Fred's bike's bell
Fred is a Brooks:             Fred Brooks's bike's bell
There are two of him:         Fred Brookses
Who own bikes:                Fred Brookses' bikes
Two Freds:                    Freds
They own a bike between them: Freds' bike
The each own one:             Freds' bikes
Both have bells:              Freds' bikes' bells

Apostrophes get used for abbreviations:

Do not:   don't
Will not: won't
Is not:   isn't
It is:    it's

They DO NOT get used anywhere else. For example:

``The vinegar's lost its bite'' - apostophe in vinegars for contraction from
``vinegar has,'' no apostrophe for its because no contraction, nor does ``it''
own anything.

GOLDEN RULE: IF IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT

-- 
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