TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Years in Toronto From:rose -at- ITLS -dot- COM Date:Wed, 5 Mar 1997 12:53:03 -0500
Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper published a style book in 1996,
which included the following in an entry called "possessives":
"Expressions that sound possessive but do not involve true possession
are treated as merely descriptive, with no apostrophe (first ministers
conference). These include common expressions involving lengths of
time (two weeks vacation, five years imprisonment); however, idiom
requires an apostrophe for the singular (a week's vacation). Other
expressions considered descriptive are those that, if rewritten as
phrases, would take the prepositions 'for' or 'by' rather than 'of' -
a hitchhikers guide, a teachers college, citizens band. (By
convention, we use apostrophes for such historical events as the Seven
Years' War.)"
Well, now I know why the apostrophe in "two years' experience" looks
so odd to me: I read the Globe every day on the way to work!
- Maurice Rose
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
