Casa Rosales

Casa Rosales

Saturday 1 January 2011

Use of '''s ( or should that be ''''s?)

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NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

This year, I promise I will try and (to?) be more accurate in my use of the apostrophe in 'it's' and 'its'.

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I do know that it's is only ever used as a contraction of 'it is' but I have just reread (re-read?) one of my blog entries and I have found - shock, horror - that I used 'it's' as a possessive pronoun. I am so ashamed and so very sorry to those of you who have winced on seeing it. How many more entries have been published with the same mistake??

I have spent hours trying to drum this particular rule of the English Language into Mateo. Even his Spanish English teacher has had to remind him about the Saxon Genetive ....though I admit until we came to Spain, I didn't know Saxon Genetive was the formal description for the rule.

All the more reason to get it right in future - every time I am tempted to write 'it's', I will think...hmmm... 'Saxon Genetive' or 'contraction'? .. and will try to (and?) make sure I make the right choice.

I probably need to edit my posts more carefully - or rather, I actually do need to edit my posts before publishing - but, you know, I think that might stilt my flow - and that would never doSo I offer my apologies for mistakes already made and I promise to try and avoid the same ones in future.

(I'm off now to see if any of my fellow bloggers mistake their saxon genetives for contractions from time to time.)

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