On Tue, Sep 05, 2006 at 03:48:11PM -0700, Paul G. Allen wrote:
> Gregory K. Ruiz-Ade wrote:
> >
> >
> >It took me a long time to break out of the habit of "cd's" and "iso's"
> >and instead type them properly as "CDs" and "ISOs".
> >
>
> Many professors consider either form OK, but to be proper you should use
> the same form that you would use if you wrote the actual words instead of
> the abbreviated forms. You should also be consistent in the form you use in
> your document.
>
> "The CDs are broken." is "The Compact Disks are broken." (plural)
>
> "The CD's broken." is "The Compact Disk's broken." or "The Compact Disk is
> broken." (singular)
>
> "The CD's case is broken" is "The Compact Disk's case is broken."
> (singular, posessive)
>
> That's what they taught us anyway. (Though these days I often wonder what
> the instructor's really know!) ;)
>
> PGA
I would say that that is right, but it's a textbook example of how the
apostrophe is overburdened.
IIRC English punctuation was codified in the 1600s (Samuel Johnson et
al), well before information theory. Pity, really.
--
Lan Barnes
Linux Guy, SCM Specialist
Tcl/Tk Enthusiast
The idea is to die young as late as possible.
- Ashley Montague
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