On Fri, 13 Oct 2000 14:49:46 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Strunk & White, in THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, have this to say
>about possessives:
>
>* Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.
>
>* Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,
>
> * Charles's friend
> * Burns's poems
> * the witch's malice
>
>
>* This is the usage of the United States Government Printing
>Office and of the Oxford University Press.
>
Hi Terri,
I would respectfully (I know my place) suggest that both Mr. Strunk
and Mr. White would be lynched if they attended a "Burns's" Society
meeting here in Burns country and tried to pull that one.
The great Rabbie is Burns and his poetry is ALWAYS referred to as the
"Works of Robert Burns" or possibly "Burns Poems" and "Burns Poetry".
Celebrations of his birth date each year are "Burns Suppers".
Aficionados go to a "Burns Supper", never a Burns's Supper. It may be
grammatically wrong, but for Scots the world over, it's right! S&W
and the US Government Printing Office, and the Oxford University
Press are NOT Scottish. Mr. Burns and his works are!
Remember also, the only Scotch items are "Scotch Whisky", "Scotch
Tomatoes" and "Scotch Eggs" Everything else is Scottish.
Regards
Mel
--from Mel Evans, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Webmaster Services to BCC Scotland, Coachman Owners Club, Lunar Owners Club
Commercial sites located and serviced at http://www.webtheon.freeserve.co.uk
