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Subject:Re[2]: Its and It's From:Virginia Day <Virginia_Day -at- DATACARD -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 22 Sep 1997 12:21:22 -0500
The modernists (futurists?) among us have been trying for several (10?
15?) years to eliminate apostrophes. One argument for eliminating
them is to "internationalize" the English, because other languages do
not use apostrophes for possessive. However, contractions, its/it's,
and other such uses for apostrophes also are included sometimes.
Regards, Virginia
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Its and It's
Author: Beth Agnew <bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM> at Internet
Date: 9/22/97 1:01 PM
TRIAD Services asked:
Why do so many people have problems with its and it's?
It's because we have seen them confused so many times in print that the
wrong one is starting to look correct. It's the "Sleeper Effect" -- for some
reason the brain likes to hold onto misinformation given by an unimportant
source, making it seem accurate and authoritative when recalled from memory.
I absolutely *know* the difference between the possessive and the
contraction, and when to use either, but I find myself unconsciously typing
the wrong one from time to time. Annoys me like silly, sometimes.
And that's my Pop Psychology input for the day.
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Senior Technical Writer, InSystems Technologies Inc.
65 Allstate Parkway, Suite 100
Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 9X1 mailto:bagnew -at- insystems -dot- com Tel: (905) 513-1400 ext. 280
Fax: (905) 513-1419
Visit us at: http://www.insystems.com
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