An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in nato north atlantic treaty organization or eu european union, but sometimes using syllables, as in benelux belgium, netherlands and luxembourg, or a mixture of the two, as in radar radio detection and ranging. This is what makes acronyms uniqueyou can read them as they. In general, use abbreviations only in charts, tables, graphs, footnotes, bibliographies, and other places where space is at a premium. Grammar girl is similarly a pseudonym for mignon fogarty, a former magazine and technical writer whos also the sites founder, and she offers writing and usage tips in blog posts, podcasts, and newsletters. Jul 01, 2014 in english, we form the plurals of nouns by adding s to the singular. Boats is plural, and so the plural modifier of fewer should be used. Apr 14, 20 plural and possessive take different forms except when used together i. The crux of the problem is that soss cannot serve as both a genitive singular and a nominative plural, because you then run into a brick wall trying to make a genitive plural.
Jun 02, 2016 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. From new york times bestselling author and creator of the top ranked grammar girl podcast, mignon fogarty, comes her bestselling grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students with 100,000 copies sold, this is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl whose popular podcast, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing, has. Nouns ending in s, sh, ch and x, form their plurals by adding es to the singular. I still think emts being the plural form is horse doodoo. Mignon fogarty, a former magazine and technical writer who is also quick and dirty tips founder offers writing and usage tips through blog posts, podcasts, and newsletters. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller. Fourth grade teacher, las vegas public school system whether you are a grammarphobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girls quick and.
If youre a grammar pedant like me, signs like this or ones advertising cds for sale will most likely make your toes curl and set your teeth on edge yet the majority of people have become so used to seeing plural acronyms written like this that they assume its correct english. Whenever its full form federal bureau of investigation is normally preceded by the, i. Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. Rules regarding the formation of plurals english grammar. It can be confusing, since its the rpart run that is becoming plural. Unless your editor wishes otherwise, if you write books, spell it dos. Though these odd symbols,, and regularly appear on our books and screens, they all have odd, unexpected origins. Instead, i created this guide on how to make things plural with five tricky writing situations in mind. Oct 10, 2006 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Before photocopiers and computer printers, to make one or more copies of a document, carbon paper was placed between sheets of typewriter paper. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon.
When we have a singular noun, we just add an apostrophe s like we have already seen. Plurals, articles, and quantity words purdue writing lab. Form the possessive of a plural noun by adding an apostrophe. Pauls, julies, mikes, and susans are all possessive nouns. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar. If the word ends in an s, add an apostrophe after the s. Hgvs sign if youre a grammar pedant like me, signs like this or ones advertising cds for sale will most likely make your. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Capella university 225 south 6th street, 9th floor. However, its simpler all round to focus on the sounds. Plural noun examples plural nouns formed by adding an s to the singular form of the noun boy boys, girl girls, cat cats, table tables, book books, tree trees, auto autos, photo photos, radio. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for.
Check it out rarely, language experts will say you can choose between. New york times bestselling author mignon fogarty shares her weekly grammar girl podcast and video tips about english, grammar, and writing. Fewer the lake was empty today i saw fewer than ten boats all day. I would expect to hear the fbi, because fbi is an initialism aloud. A way to remember this is to use the word few with the noun youre wanting to modify. Acronyms are pronounced as a words, while initialisms have each of their letters pronounced individually.
She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. The abbreviation for terms and conditions is a tricky one. Sarcasm is a cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound. Audio podcast files feature indepth but accessible advice on grammatical issues like correctly using the adverb only in sentences. Apostrophes and plurals grammar girl quick and dirty tips. If you want to make an irregular plural noun possessive, you need to add an apostrophe followed by an s. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. The most familiar of these unusual symbols is probably the, called parentheses. In english, we form the plurals of nouns by adding s to the singular.
Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. The general rule is often taught as use a before words that begin with consonants, and an before words that begin with vowels. The chicago manual of style has an interesting way to address this. How to make rbi plural grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Irony is the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Fourth grade teacher, las vegas public school system. I sometimes see unnecessary apostrophes on a plural word ending in a vowel like pajamas or acronym like cds, because some people wrongly think you cant pluralize those words without it. Unusual plurals of abbreviations grammar and punctuation. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. Theyre designed to save time and take up less space whether youre typing or writing by hand, and can even make your writing easier to read. Girl doesnt end in s, or a vowel, two things that can trip people up when it comes to employing the possessive.
Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms grammar girl. So with regard to acronymsinitialisms ending in s, and assuming that s is correct for the end of the word, if the initialism actually ends in an s, is there a rule for whether this should be written as s or just for proper nouns ending in s, an apostrophe by itself is generally considered correct e. Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. This common phrase is technically a plural one, although its often written in the singular. Abbreviations and acronyms are shorter versions of existing words and phrases. If the word does not end in an s, add an apostrophe followed by an s. There are many irregular plural nouns, such as woman women, potato. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Choosing which article to use if any with a noun is a complex matter because the range of choices depends on whether the noun in question is 1 count or noncount and 2 singular or plural. As she does in previous volumesgrammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing 2008 and the grammar devotional 2009fogarty affects an earnest and upbeat tone to dissuade those who think a grammar book has to be annoying, boring, and confusing and takes on the role of grammar guide, intent on demystifying grammar. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by.
Both count nouns whether singular or plural and noncount nouns take articles. The plurals of abbreviations and acronyms grammar monster. Abbreviations are all around us, from common titles like dr. Notes from the newsroom on grammar, usage and style.
If youre a copywriter or blogger, i assume you already know the basics of how to make things plural i. Users can view posts by date or topic grammar, punctuation, word choice, style, or general tip or view all entries. Apr 12, 2012 the general rule is often taught as use a before words that begin with consonants, and an before words that begin with vowels. This is the kind of mistake that makes me judgmental, because i cant fathom why people get it wrong. If something belongs to a collective, you use the plural form, followed by an apostrophe girls. Now, there are some simple rules about how to use the apostrophe s.
See more ideas about grammar, grammar tips, book worth reading. One of them is called a parenthesis, and as a pair the plural are parentheses. Plural and possessive take different forms except when used together i. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. The only grammar book youll ever need is the ideal resource for everyone who wants to produce writing that is clear, concise, and grammatically excellent. It will give you the plural of the word if the plural isnt standard. That can easily be confused as the singular possessive form. Acronyms ending in the letter s take es in the plural. Whether you are a grammar phobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better.
Online sensation grammar girl makes grammar fun and easy in this new york times bestseller. Jul 08, 2008 written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Whether youre creating perfect professional documents, spectacular school papers, or effective personal letters, youll find this handbook indispensable. Any english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. In fact, grammar girl is highly credited with sparking a fresh interest in grammar throughout our culture. Reference the full name first in the body of the text with the abbreviation in parenthesis. Grammar girl provides short, useful tips on grammar that are easy to remember and easy to put into practice. Using a or an with acronyms and abbreviations apa style. Grammar girl has a few resources that will finetune your grammar skills quickly and easily while rounding out your personal collection of writing resources.
Grammar girl has many unique topics that are relevant to students lives. So with regard to acronyms initialisms ending in s, and assuming that s is correct for the end of the word, if the initialism actually ends in an s, is there a rule for whether this should be written as s or just for proper nouns ending in s, an apostrophe by itself is generally considered correct e. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Learn the differences among abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. This is followed by exceptions, such as use an before words that start with silent consonants e. Childrens definition, a person between birth and full growth. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Grammar girl is a witty way to get the down and dirty grammar tips our students need. Different style guides proffer different advice on this one, making it largely a question of personal choice. Fourth grade teacher, las vegas public school system whether you are a grammarphobe seeking guidance, a parent looking for a tutorial that your kids will enjoy and therefore use or a writer seeking a fun reference manual for frustrating recurring questions, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. Get grammar girls take on abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. If youre not sure what the plural form of a word is, go to the dictionary. If you saw that on the menu at your favorite restaurant, theres a good chance youd just order a blt, not a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
Use abbreviations and acronyms if you are certain your reader understands them. Feb 6, 2012 explore realgrammargirls board grammar girl. A noun ending with a consonant and the letter y forms the plural by adding ies. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. For example, boat becomes boats, or hat becomes hats. For example, grammar girl had an article about whether or not it was ok to use abbreviations and when they are appropriate. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. In fact, grammar girl has appeared or been mentioned on the oprah winfrey show, the new york times, and usa today, to name a few. Fewer is used for plural nouns, and less is for singular nouns. Each episode of grammar girl is available in both audio and text format. They omit the apostrophe, unless there are periods in the abbreviation. Generally, you dont use apostrophes to make words or abbreviations plural e. For example, the possessive of fox would have been foxes, which was the same as the plural.
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