'Tis is a good book for your summer reading. By Frank McCourt (1999) it continues on where "Angela's Ashes" left off.
Interestingly the word 'tis was used until the 19th Century as a contraction for it is. Nowadays we are supposed to use instead the word it's which means it is, also it has. Strangely, in the 19th Century the possessive form was it's, so no wonder we're confused when the modern pundits say the possessive is its !
Some people even use the possessive form its' which can't be right as it is singular and its' implies it's plural! There, have I succeeded in pulling the wool over your eyes ?
Another interesting modern variation is using the apostrophe for plural, e.g Cherry's For Sale : Apple's For Sale...I have heard there are little men with paintbrushes and ladders going around deleting apostrophe's from shop sign's.......
The English language is always changing!
Interestingly the word 'tis was used until the 19th Century as a contraction for it is. Nowadays we are supposed to use instead the word it's which means it is, also it has. Strangely, in the 19th Century the possessive form was it's, so no wonder we're confused when the modern pundits say the possessive is its !
Some people even use the possessive form its' which can't be right as it is singular and its' implies it's plural! There, have I succeeded in pulling the wool over your eyes ?
Another interesting modern variation is using the apostrophe for plural, e.g Cherry's For Sale : Apple's For Sale...I have heard there are little men with paintbrushes and ladders going around deleting apostrophe's from shop sign's.......
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| Last Year's Grapes were three weeks ahead of this year's due to cool weather.( Possessive not Plural! ) |
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| Reminds me of a farm in France... |
5 comments:
Indeed it is. Or should that be indeed 'tis. One of my teachers put the following words on the blackboard and told us to punctuate it. Do you know this one?
that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is
Schöne Bilder mit englisch Grammatik. Vielleicht lerne ich englisch doch noch irgendwann :-)
Liebe Grüsse
Angela
Thanks for the handwriting - no apostrophe's out of place there. The wife has pretty awful handwriting (yes, a doctor) and the Lad's is getting worse by the minute (Yes, a Medical Student)
They don't teach grammar in schools like they used to. My pet hate is when people write 'must of...' instead of 'must have..' as in 'They must of walked there.'
Hello Michael and Hanna
Twas an amusing post. It made me laugh, anyway.
Anna
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