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Surely it should be poster's age? Aren't you refering to one poster and his age? As in 'poster his age?' Would it not be posters' ages if it were plural? You have got me thinking! If I am wrong, I do apologise Ambassador.

Depends whether your first language is English or not. Makes sense either way, so no need to split hairs.

I don't see that it has anything to do with whether your first language is English or not, it's English grammar. You can't change it, it is what it is. Can't anyone have a decent debate round here without you wanting to close it down? We aren't bickering just debating a point. I'd be happy to hear othere people's views on the grammar even if it shows me to be wrong.

Well I don't see what that's got to do with a Posters' Age anyway!

Also FYI, the usual retirement age is 60 or 65 these days.

Chocoholic wrote:Depends whether your first language is English or not. Makes sense either way, so no need to split hairs.

Really! I don't think it would have anything to do with whether English is a person's first language or not. How would that be?

One version is grammatically incorrect the other is not (it does not make sense either way)

On the subject of Grammar: English Grammar is constantly changing - it is in a process of changing right now.

What was right in Victorian times is not right now. Pronunciations have changed from even the 30s - and going even further back there was the 'Great Vowel Shift' (look it up) - where words were suddenly pronounced differently (but the spellings didn't keep up).

What is acceptable in e-mails and texts will be incorporated into the language - this is normal evolution of language. We accept what sounds right, and that changes with time.

Sometimes rules of Grammar don't make sense in normal speech:
As Churchill once famously put it:

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.

'Timeously' is a word that means 'Timely' in South Africa, 'Just now' has different meanings in different parts of the world. 'Do the needful' is good English for the majority of English speakers worldwide - but doesn't sound right to those living in the UK.

So, whilst I do enjoy pedantry - one has to keep in perspective.

Cheers,
Shafique

^^^ agreed but "off topic " (about whether English is first language or not)

^agreed.

(Eats, shoots, and leaves.)

Cheers,
Shafique

shafique wrote:What is acceptable in e-mails and texts will be incorporated into the language - this is normal evolution of language. We accept what sounds right, and that changes with time.

Oh lord. No wonder kids today can't spell. This texting and email language is absolutely destroying kids ability to spell and in some way it also has to effect reading abililty. Would they know how to actually spell these shortcuts that they are so accustomed to?: you, your, you're, about, are, etc.?

Bora Bora wrote:

Ambassador wrote:

Bethsmum wrote:Bora, don't be silly! The topic is poster's age, even though the ambassador has [the] apostrophe in the wrong spot. !

aspostrophe in the right spot It applies to the prural.

Someone is in need of a spellchecker.

Poster - singular
Posters - plural
Poster's as in "Poster is"

I’m confused now, BB.

I don’t know if you mean BM or Ambassador.

Posters’ age is still technically correct (plural possessive) , but it would’ve been better if he said: The Age of Posters.

Pastor’s age is a singular possessive. But Pastor’s (meaning Pastor is) could pass but it is not really proper grammar. The “ ‘s ” to mean “is” is best used only with with pronouns, like: She’s gone, It’s late… but not with proper names.

I stand corrected if I’m wrong (I really didn’t check it out). But that’s what I remember Mrs. Helley, our English teacher in High School, used to tell us!!!

Are you allowed to be on DF while in church TJ??? Shame on you

LOL @ Bora!

TJ, would you say poster is a proper name?

Pastor’s age is a singular possessive. But Pastor’s (meaning Pastor is) could pass but it is not really proper grammar. The “ ‘s ” to mean “is” is best used only with with pronouns, like: She’s gone, It’s late… but not with proper names.

I take it you are from the quote above? Proper nouns (or names) should begin with a capital letter, as in James, John, Chardonnay, Chanel or Dior. I don't think you would use Poster in the middle of a sentence, but 'poster'. Poster is a noun and wouldn't have a capital letter, poster's age would refer to the age of a single poster, but posters' ages would be said to describle the age of more than one poster.

You can be excused as you left school ages ago! LOL
It will just be my luck for Dillon to come on now and prove me wrong.

Back to grammar.

Yes, Posters' age is correct because it is the "possesive" of the "age of the posters" and it is "singular" because the thread is about the "average" age (there being one average) not the indiviaul poster's age (note the apostrophe) in the right place

Anyways, interesting to note the ages.

While many still maintain that it is only a question of style, and while language is certainly fluid, there are actually general rules in this case:

Form the singular possessive of nouns ending in s with 's: Mr. Jones's dog, Maris's foibles, James's dissertation. The only exceptions are ancient proper nouns: Jesus' disciples.

However, you form the plural possessive of nouns by adding an apostrophe after the "s": the dogs' bones, the balloons' strings, the lollipops' centers.

In the case of the plural possessive of nouns ending in s -- as in, say, the family Jones and their collective beach house -- you add an es and an apostrophe at the end: the Joneses' beach house, the Moraleses' car.

(My information comes from Strunk & White. You can find exceptions to all of these rules, but they are the generally accepted rules.)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_p ... nding_in_s

So what happens when you're talking about several people with the first name of James?

That briefcase belongs to the Jameses' (two people with the name of James who both own the same briefcase)

Ambassador wrote:Back to grammar.

Yes, Posters' age is correct because it is the "possesive" of the "age of the posters" and it is "singular" because the thread is about the "average" age (there being one average) not the indiviaul poster's age (note the apostrophe) in the right place

Anyways, interesting to note the ages.

Do what? The average age? When asking the poster's age you aren't asking the average age but the single age of a single poster. Let me explain my point further. If you had 10 girlies and they all had a teddy you would say the girls' teddies. If it was one girl and one teddy it would be the girl's teddy. Ambassador you will have to learn that you can't BS a master BSer

Bethsmum wrote:

Ambassador wrote:Back to grammar.

Yes, Posters' age is correct because it is the "possesive" of the "age of the posters" and it is "singular" because the thread is about the "average" age (there being one average) not the indiviaul poster's age (note the apostrophe) in the right place

Anyways, interesting to note the ages.

Do what? The average age? When asking the poster's age you aren't asking the average age but the single age of a single poster. Let me explain my point further. If you had 10 girlies and they all had a teddy you would say the girls' teddies. If it was one girl and one teddy it would be the girl's teddy. Ambassador you will have to learn that you can't BS a master BSer

The thread began with me guessing that the average age of the posters was 35-40...hence posters' age.

I appears I may have guessed correctly

So, there...

You can't start discussing ages and average ages and expect the actuary not to comment (I'm sure there's a law somewhere that says I am obliged to weigh in .. )

Suffice to say, IMHO BM has won this round - the correct grammatical phrase is 'posters' ages' .. not ' posters' age' - but to be fair to Ambassador, it was a valiant attempt at clawing back the grammatical high ground by arguing that you actually meant 'posters' average age' (which would have been grammatically correct).


I'm just surprised that this is proving harder to resolve than the Mid East peace process.

Cheers,
Shafique

shafique wrote:You can't start discussing ages and average ages and expect the actuary not to comment (I'm sure there's a law somewhere that says I am obliged to weigh in .. )

Suffice to say, IMHO BM has won this round - the correct grammatical phrase is 'posters' ages' .. not ' posters' age' - but to be fair to Ambassador, it was a valiant attempt at clawing back the grammatical high ground by arguing that you actually meant 'posters' average age' (which would have been grammatically correct).


I'm just surprised that this is proving harder to resolve than the Mid East peace process.

Cheers,
Shafique

Umm, seems people are a bit obsessed..

Anyway not "a valiant attempt at clawing back to the grammatical high ground" but a correct used of the aposthrophe. Just read the OP and you will see that it referes to the average (most posters...)

In any event the horse died long ago...

shafique wrote:You can't start discussing ages and average ages and expect the actuary not to comment (I'm sure there's a law somewhere that says I am obliged to weigh in .. )

Suffice to say, IMHO BM has won this round - the correct grammatical phrase is 'posters' ages' .. not ' posters' age' - but to be fair to Ambassador, it was a valiant attempt at clawing back the grammatical high ground by arguing that you actually meant 'posters' average age' (which would have been grammatically correct).


I'm just surprised that this is proving harder to resolve than the Mid East peace process.

Cheers,
Shafique

Morning Shaf, I will be gracious in victory and give the ambassador 10 out of 10 for trying Nothing like a good debate eh? Even if it is irrelevant.

shafique wrote:You can't start discussing ages and average ages and expect the actuary not to comment (I'm sure there's a law somewhere that says I am obliged to weigh in .. )

Suffice to say, IMHO BM has won this round - the correct grammatical phrase is 'posters' ages' .. not ' posters' age' - but to be fair to Ambassador, it was a valiant attempt at clawing back the grammatical high ground by arguing that you actually meant 'posters' average age' (which would have been grammatically correct).


I'm just surprised that this is proving harder to resolve than the Mid East peace process.

Cheers,
Shafique

I reapectfully disagree Shaf.

I think they are both grammatically correct. One is correct as in the singular(person) and the other pertaining to 2 or more.

Bethsmum wrote: Morning Shaf, I will be gracious in victory

And mistanken in the belief of "victory" (see previous post and OP)

Oh dear! Why not just change the title of the thread to: 'How old are you?' - simple!

Ambassador wrote:

Bethsmum wrote: Morning Shaf, I will be gracious in victory

And mistanken in the belief of "victory" (see previous post and OP)

Mr. Ambassador,

Just curious!!

I don’t know why it’s so important to know the posters’ ages (age??… who cares??). You’re not trying to sell us something, are you??

I actually I don’t need, nor care, to know the age of anyone. I can easily tell the level of maturity (age!) of the poster,... from his or her post!!!

My last post was full of smileys for a reason, and I prefaced my comment with a IMHO.

Let me go into what I call 'loon mode':

Please don't confuse me with facts.

Tom Jones wrote:Mr. Ambassador,

Just curious!!

I don’t know why it’s so important to know the posters’ ages (age??… who cares??). You’re not trying to sell us something, are you??

I actually I don’t need, nor care, to know the age of anyone. I can easily tell the level of maturity (age!) of the poster,... from his or her post!!!

Now TJ, that is not always true.

Someone can write like an adult and say stooopid things in the process. Oh, wait, that would be one's intelligence. Never mind.

I have a poster of Farrah Fawcett-Majors.

Its quite old.



Knight

Please tell me it's not hanging on the wall behind your bed..........

It used to, now it is relegated to a storage container in the UK along with my Dansette record player, Simon lighting up game, Commodore 64 computer and a collection of flared jeans and cheesecloth shirts!



Knight

Commie 64 !! My god, that was the ultimate in hightech after having used the ZX Spectrum for ages. Anybody knew what happered to that 3 wheeled bike Sincliar came up with ?

P.S : Keep the 64 for a few more years, I heard good units are already going for a pretty penny now