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Topic: don't shoot me... grammar question
| Author | Message |
| mad fingers | Posted – 3/4/2008 11:26:52 AM | show profile 10 dollars' worth? 10 dollars worth? Apostrophe or not, and why? Honestly could not find this one. Is there a online grammar source that might have it? |
| catlondon | Posted – 3/4/2008 12:36:11 PM | show profile I don't hate you because I love this kind of stuff. Here's what I found, which would be a vote for ten dollars' worth: For expressions of time and measurement, the possessive is shown with an apostrophe -s: "one dollar's worth," "two dollars' worth," "a hard day's night," "two years' experience," "an evening's entertainment," and "two weeks' notice" (the title of the Hollywood movie nothwithstanding). I found it here:http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm Last graf of the bordered box. Hope it helps. |
| wineaux | Posted – 3/4/2008 5:45:57 PM | show profile 10 dollars' worth |
| SPF 30 | Posted – 3/4/2008 6:33:46 PM | show profile Agreed. Ten dollars' worth. (Who says three's a crowd? Not me. Not I?) |
| mad fingers | Posted – 3/4/2008 6:34:10 PM | show profile thanks! Applied for some freelance and was checking out the guy's Web site. Told him I saw some typos ("on" instead of "of", etc.) Mentioned that I thought it should be "million dollars' worth." He told me there was no apostrophe, and that I shouldn't correct would-be employers, especially when I was "wrong!" That's one petty dictator I won't be working for! :) |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 3/4/2008 6:58:09 PM | show profile He's wrong about the apostrophe, but he's right that you shouldn't be correcting a potential employer's Web site unless they ask for a critique as part of the application process. Even if you point out embarrassing mistakes/typos, they aren't likely to look favorably on you. |
| mad fingers | Posted – 3/4/2008 7:03:08 PM | show profile Well, that's one school of thought. I always try to check up on potential employers if I can. I've pointed out typos to several folks who eventually hired me. They appreciated that I took the time to really do my homework. Guess it depends on the ego of the potential boss. |
| lifeisbetteredited | Posted – 4/2/2008 7:46:53 PM | show profile According to the latest AP Stylebook It takes an apostrophe. Under punctuation/apostrophe/quasi possessives, the following example appears: "Your money's worth," which leads one to believe that "10 dollars' worth" would also be correct. Perhaps that guy would not be the best employer, based on his mistake and refusal to acknowledge it? |
| intraining | Posted – 4/2/2008 9:05:28 PM | show profile Wonder how many jobs you lost out on because you corrected typos... |
| PatriciaJ11 | Posted – 4/2/2008 10:18:59 PM | show profile i'm good at grammar, maybe nothing else :) It takes an apostrophe. The original would be a sentence "it is worth ten dollars". The word "dollars" is plural (no apostrophe between the r and s because it is plural), but the contraction of "it is" is why you need the apostrophe but not doubling the "s"- to represent the "it is"; actually the formation of the phrase is a bit informal; however, it does and must have the apostrophe after the plural "s" on dollars. If it was "it is worth one dollar" - there is no plural, it would be "one dollar's worth". Get It?? :) |
| mad fingers | Posted – 4/2/2008 10:48:11 PM | show profile 1,327 |
| foodlit | Posted – 4/3/2008 7:06:29 PM | show profile I don't think you use an apostrophe at all. It would just be 10 dollars worth. Inanimate objects are not allowed to take possession. That's what I learned in school anyway. So, I think you corrected this guy, but you were wrong. Also, I wouldn't ever offer this kind of critique unless I was invited to do so...especially when you're wrong on top of it. I'm speaking from many years of interviewing experience. It generally doesn't go over very well, not so much because the person has an ego, but because it seems like you might if you feel the need to point out other people's mistakes. Food for thought. |
| mad fingers | Posted – 4/3/2008 7:23:41 PM | show profile Point taken. No more corrections. I will mind my own business. It was one of several errors (or not, in this case, although I still not convinced that it doesn't take an apostrophe), some of which were truly glaring. |
| mad fingers | Posted – 4/3/2008 7:25:05 PM | show profile that should be "I'm" I must have been having a Tarzan moment... |
| PatriciaJ11 | Posted – 4/5/2008 8:43:23 PM | show profile Query: If a man had a hat with feathers and the hat's feathers were green.... this is an inanimate object (hat) I believe, and it must have an apostrophe. Maybe the problem is simply the phrase "xxx dollar(s) worth" is somewhat idiomatic. Now I am getting curious!! |
| foodlit | Posted – 4/6/2008 10:06:28 AM | show profile If a man had a hat with feathers and the hat's feathers were green.... this is an inanimate object (hat) I believe, and it must have an apostrophe. No, it should just be worded better, such as If a man had a hat with green feathers. The initial sentence doesn't flow as well, and is redundant. Could also say, If a man hat a hat with feathers that were green. I think the rules have relaxed a little regarding the inanimate objects taking possession, but still the alternative seems to always sound better, when you reword so that it's not needed. :) |
| PatriciaJ11 | Posted – 4/9/2008 10:01:03 PM | show profile The sentence was meant as a example pertaining to the use of a punctuation point. If you wish to comment on style and writing of anyone's or everyone's reply to notes on the MB BBS, please feel free, it might fall into a different thread than this topic. I think you could find something to rewrite in any of the forums. I was impressed with your homepage. Many thanks and good luck to you. Rep |
| InsomniacNOT | Posted – 4/10/2008 12:26:37 PM | show profile Also, can I just say, re the green feathers that it's impossible to know which is better because we don't know the context. Patricia's might actually be the best formulation if we're talking dialogue, need a certain syntactical rythym, etc. Foodlit's rewrites might be too choppy or abrupt for certain formats while being perfect for others. |
| leprechaunsy | Posted – 4/10/2008 5:05:12 PM | show profile As most people have confirmed, and any grammar book will tell you, it should be 10 dollars' worth. It's not a matter of opinion. (I've corrected potential employers, too. The response I expect is "Of course, I make mistakes. That's why I'm hiring someone.") |
| PatriciaJ11 | Posted – 4/10/2008 5:39:21 PM | show profile Foodlit is correct - the sentence is wordy, but the punctuation is correct. Lep is correct: Plural Possessive: ten dollars' worth. singular: one dollar's worth. Have a good spring!! |
