From owner-freebsd-doc Tue Dec 31 18:15:26 1996 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) id SAA07838 for doc-outgoing; Tue, 31 Dec 1996 18:15:26 -0800 (PST) Received: from tierzero.apana.org.au (root@tierzero.apana.org.au [203.14.158.1]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) with ESMTP id SAA07831 for ; Tue, 31 Dec 1996 18:15:19 -0800 (PST) Received: from hatch.ching.apana.org.au (hatch.ching.apana.org.au [202.12.89.194]) by tierzero.apana.org.au (8.8.3/8.7.3) with SMTP id MAA02857; Wed, 1 Jan 1997 12:44:05 +1030 (CST) Message-ID: <32C9C895.3A49@ching.apana.org.au> Date: Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:44:45 +1030 From: Martin Bull Organization: APANA = internet access with a smile X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Sean Kelly CC: "Rick Robinson (Rick Robinson)" , doc@freebsd.org Subject: Re: spelling References: <199612311603.LAA01144@casbah.gatech.edu> <32C93D80.1C4F@fsl.noaa.gov> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-doc@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk Sean Kelly wrote: > > Rick Robinson (Rick Robinson) wrote: > > > The possessive form of the third-person singular neuter pronoun -- > > a.k.a. "it" -- is spelled "its," not "it's." > > "It's" is a contraction of "it is." > > Absolutely right. I dare you to find "it's" used improperly in the > sections I've written. > > What's even more disheartening is how often I see "it's" used as > possessive "it" in hand-written store signs, local organization > newsletters---and much worse---mass media. It probably won't be long > until "it's" is accepted American English for either the possessive or > the contraction, and "its" is incorrect altogether. The end of the > world should happen soon thereafter. ;-) Welcome to the "real" world, you might find this troubling but anyhow.... We are ALL users of the language & therefore have an equal oppotunity to change it. Latin is a dead language it will not change! English as it is used in the four corners of the globe, will always be evolving and changing and there isnt a damn thing you or anyone else can do about it :-) So my suggestion is take a deep breath and look back on the good old days when people actualy cared about "The possessive form of the third-person singular neuter pronoun" Martin