In Abbreviations^x, Possessives^x

Exception: Apostrophes are used to indicate an abbreviation. " It is going to lose its loose wheel". = " It's going to lose its loose wheel". Note that you MUST NOT put an apostrophe in the possessive pronouns " its, his, her, their, our, your ". It's = "it is" or "it has". ...

As you say, this is still a bone of contention, but I believe that most authorities adhere to the simple rule of 'no possessive ergo no apostrophe'. At least I do, and would unhesitantingly write: H.G.V.s only seven HPs seven MPs seven MPs' hats. Exceptions are usually made for the few...

I used to be convinced that the plural did not take the apostrophe as it was not a possessive but I now see the apostrophe used in many places and am full of doubt. What is the correct usage? There are road signs showing "H.G.V.'s only". Surely that can't be right? Would the abbreviation of...

If you must. Most sources say that an apostrophe should be reserved only for possessives, and I agree. 'IRAs' is quite clearly plural, where 'My IRA's term is 18 months' could be confusing if not automatically considered possessive. Having said that, I do diverge if, upon typing it, it...

As Taken from one of the site. Briefly, we can say that apostrophes have three uses: 1) To show possession in nouns We add an apostrophe and "s" after all singular nouns and after plural nouns that do not end in "s": Susan’s book; Pete’s dog; the children’s toys; the men’s room. ...

The (incomplete) Punctuation FAQ Hopefully this will grow in time, as other questions are asked and answered, and other people add to this. Hopefully (!) some kind moderator or adminstrator will mark this thread as sticky. INTRODUCTION In grammar, the rules are forged in a delicate...

Basically: 1. Possession, e.g.: The carpenter's tools (one set of tools belonging to one carpenter) The carpenters' tools (several carpenters; several sets of tools) But NOT in possessive PRONOUNS, e.g.: its, his, hers, theirs, ours 2. Omission of one or more letter in...

(I am posting these Intros for Donna Richoux while she is away. Maria.) Last Revised: 2002-09-21 (21 Sep 2002) This document now contains the Table of Contents of (a) the AUE FAQ and (b) the FAQ Supplement. Both can be found by way of links at the AUE Website . We post these Tables of Contents so...