Round 18, Hour 16

[pitry.livejournal.com]

If you build it, they will come.

If you write it, they'll stay behind their rock and sing sad, sad songs in three alien languages.

They say these songs are quite beautiful, but no one's ever heard them. Also, no one quite knows who "they" are. They might be penguins.

OR: there has been progress in the last hour, hooray! And I am deep into (real) research, reading a 97-long-academic paper. Help, help.

Comments

[insertcode11.livejournal.com]

OK, so. Maybe I'm more reading big bangs and not working on mine so much at the moment (I did, however, edit about 2 pages in the past couple of minutes?). I'm calling it research.

[pitry.livejournal.com]

It IS research! I'm with you.

[chibifukurou]

I managed around 980 words of my DS_C6D rewrite in the last hour and a half.

[pitry.livejournal.com]

YAY!!! You are the strongest of us.

Most important grammar question ever

[insertcode11.livejournal.com]

....How do I make a name that ends in s into the possessive again?

The last name is Ackles. And I'm trying to say "Ackles's attention". Is it that or "Ackles'"? *PULLS HAIR OUT*

Re: Most important grammar question ever

[thisbluespirit]

I am pretty sure it's the former (Ackles's) and it would only be Ackles' if there were several Ackles being possessive about something. But I can't find where I got that from at this moment.

Re: Most important grammar question ever

[insertcode11.livejournal.com]

OK. I was pretty sure, too, but it never fails to look so weird that it throws me off. I'm going to go with it. :) Thanks muchly! ♥

Re: Most important grammar question ever

[lolmac]

Guess what! Even the grammarians disagree. The AP Stylebook says one thing, the NY Times Style Manual says the opposite.

If it's a plural that forms a possessive, it's always an apostrophe after the s, and no final s: The dogs' paws, when there are several dogs.

If it isn't a plural (as in Ackles), you'll have to go with your gut. The level of formality can be a clue: Ackles' attention if you want to be more formal; informal writing is more likely to say Ackles's attention.

If you’re ever published, it’s whatever the editor says.

http://grammar.about.com/b/2008/01/21/questions-of-style-james-web-site-or-jamess-website.htm