(no subject)

[solafiamma]

I keep opening the update page and staring at the blank update box until the white space hurts my eyes. Nothin'. Wordless in Gaza. I don't think I've had a lobotomy since my last post. I'd know, right?

I think it's probably all silveryscrape's fault. Poking around the fl, trying to catch up on everything I've missed, I came across her post on the apostrophe and whether or not to use that icky old second "s", and it's shorted out my brain.

Because, dude, to my eyes that second "s" is an aesthetic abomination. The oh-so-very-sad thing about it, though, is that after spending a couple of obsessive hours checking two billion and five grammar and punctuation references, I am forced to conclude that the overwhelming weight of grammatical opinion seems to be on Mary's side, even if some grammarians concede rather grudgingly (in that tone of, "No, of course you don't have to take off your shoes, I've just shampooed the carpets but I can always do them again) that it isn't necessarily incorrect to omit the second "s".

I want very badly to not give a shit one way or the other, to just opt for the more popular usage and move on with whatever I’m writing (which at the moment would be nothing at all, unless you count this), but I do care. That horrid "s's" drives me wiggy! I hate it!! (Almost as much as I hate double exclamation marks, but I'm using them anyway because this is one of those moments of great turmoil that actually requires a double exclamation.)

Anyway, this is really just a long-winded preamble to my giving in, not very graciously at all, to the inevitability of the double "s" (and thanking my lucky stars that I've only written six stories, which will make the the clean up that much easier).

Sob.

Comments

[lilysaid.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked every time I see someone go "Really? I've been doing it that way forever, and that's how I prefer it, but since someone made a very vocal and adamant post about it, I will change my ways."

I'm sticking with Chris', thankyouverymuch. Fuck the extra S!

[ex_halo669]

right with you, sister. the extra S can fuck right off. I'm not changing a damn thing.

[sola-fiamma.livejournal.com]

No, but, it's not just the post, Lily. Every grammar reference site I've checked says the same thing! If I'd even found the remotest balance of opinion out there, I wouldn't be changing, but the vast majority of British, American and Canadian grammarians really do seem to be in agreement on this issue.

Oh, please prove me wrong . . .

[lilysaid.livejournal.com]

If it were incorrect, I'd worry about it. But it's not, so I'm not. :)