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From: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Poor English (here too)
Message-ID: <1831@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Mar-85 21:23:24 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1831
Posted: Tue Mar 12 21:23:24 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Mar-85 05:31:35 EST
References: <4800002@umn-cs.UUCP> <390@abnji.UUCP> <355@zinfandel.UUCP>
Reply-To: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 18
Summary: 


I think the most frightening sign I've run into recently on the breakdown of
grammar throughout the English-speaking world came in a letter from an
Oxford student asking why my fanzine's guidelines mentioned that "it's"
was a contraction of "it is" and NOT the possessive of "it."  He asked whether
this indicated a difference between American and British English, and said
that in his country one used an apostrophe-s to show possession.  I quoted
Fowler's Modern English Usage back at him to the effect that apostrophe-s
was used for possession in NOUNS, not PRONOUNS.  It's not hi's, her's,
their's, or it's for the posessive form, British or American.  I also
suggested he sue (or at least remonstrate with) his various teachers for
not having made this point clear to him.

In the course of editing an amateur Fantasy Roleplaying magazine, I get
letters from across America, England, and Australia--all equally tainted by
illiterate usages.  It's quite dismaying.

--Lee Gold