Re: Corpora: International English

From: Avryl2@aol.com
Date: Thu Dec 13 2001 - 17:51:26 MET

  • Next message: Barbara Seidlhofer: "Re: Corpora: 'International English'; overuse and underuse of learner English"

         This comment deviates from the topic of international English. Apologies for that. Just a comment about apostrope use.
         For some reason, I thought apostrophe errors were an American thing. I was quite surprised to hear that they occur in Great Britain as well. I notice apostrophe errors frequently in all kinds of public places in the US, including once, in a courtroom. The most common error is to use the apostrophe when a simple plural is intended, e.g., 'Customer's are requested to show their ID.' Does anyone have a theory about why so simple a rule is so widely misunderstood considering that a ten year old can easily grasp the difference between possessive and plural? I find it bizarre.

    Paula Bramante



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