Apostrophes (writerly, surprisingly enough)

[Vermilion]

OK. So an apostrophe is possessive unless using the word 'it' in which case it is a contraction. Does this also apply to, for example - "my rooms blue"?

Should it actually be " my room's blue"?

Or should I just forget the contraction and have 'room is'?

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[Equinoxe]

In answer to your questions:
Yes.

Yes.

And yes.

In that order.

 

[scheherazade_79]

Apostrophes can show one of two things -

a) A missing letter (or letters), where the apostrophe is inserted where the missing letter(s) would have gone.

was not - wasn't

b) Possession, where the apostrophe comes after the name of the 'owner'

Notice the different between "the horse's hooves" and "the horses' hooves". In the first example the hooves belong to just one horse, and in the second they belong to several horses.

"Its" seems like an exception to the rule, but if you think about other possessives, such as "his" and "hers", there is no apostrophe.


However, if you were writing the shortened form of "it is", it would be "it's".

 

[Vermilion]

Apostrophes can show one of two things -

a) A missing letter (or letters), where the apostrophe is inserted where the missing letter(s) would have gone.

was not - wasn't

b) Possession, where the apostrophe comes after the name of the 'owner'

Notice the different between "the horse's hooves" and "the horses' hooves". In the first example the hooves belong to just one horse, and in the second they belong to several horses.

"Its" seems like an exception to the rule, but if you think about other possessives, such as "his" and "hers", there is no apostrophe.


However, if you were writing the shortened form of "it is", it would be "it's".

Veyr helpful dear, but to get back to the original question - what about 'room is'? Does that contract the same way as 'it is'?

 

[starrkers]

What she said.

And "my room's blue" is correct.

 

[Vermilion]

What she said.

And "my room's blue" is correct.

thanks all!

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[oggbashan]

What she said.

And "my room's blue" is correct.

But - a quibble. If you wanted to match the colour of the room in a new pot of paint "my room's blue" would be a possessive, meaning "the blue colour that my room has on the walls".

No wonder foreigners learning English have problems.

Og

PS. If you owned a stately home you could have "my blue rooms" for a suite of rooms in blue.

 

[scheherazade_79]

Veyr helpful dear, but to get back to the original question - what about 'room is'? Does that contract the same way as 'it is'?

Sorry

I like grammar, and got carried away...

 

[Vermilion]

Sorry

I like grammar, and got carried away...

Hee hee hee - I thought you were just copy/pasting!

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ps- like your doggy AV.

 

[Noira]

And while 'my room's blue' would be correct, in a story, I would accept it only in dialogue or from a very firm 'POV' first person that contained other slang. In narrative I would generally prefer to see 'my room is blue', but to say, in dialogue "my room's blue", it would be entirely acceptable.

But yeah. It contracts the same way. ^_^

 

[scheherazade_79]

Hee hee hee - I thought you were just copy/pasting!

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ps- like your doggy AV.

No, I can genuinely be an anorak at times...

It's a snow fox Now I wish I had a cat AV so I could have heard you telling me how much you like my pussy

 

[Vermilion]

And while 'my room's blue' would be correct, in a story, I would accept it only in dialogue or from a very firm 'POV' first person that contained other slang. In narrative I would generally prefer to see 'my room is blue', but to say, in dialogue "my room's blue", it would be entirely acceptable.

But yeah. It contracts the same way. ^_^

It's dialogue - don;t worry, I know that much!

Thanks though

No, I can genuinely be an anorak at times...

It's a snow fox Now I wish I had a cat AV so I could have heard you telling me how much you like my pussy

Aww shucks sweetie, that's taken as read surely

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ps- is it a threadjack if it's your own thread?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I think "my room's blue" is incorrect. Blue is an adjective. Hoof is a noun....as in "my horse's hooves." One is a condition, one is tangible.

Like, you wouldnt say "My horse's spotted" for "My horse is spotted."

On the other-hand contracting a noun with an adjective is subjective, so long as the expression doesnt sound awkward.

 

[scheherazade_79]

ps- is it a threadjack if it's your own thread?

Nah!

 

[scheherazade_79]

I think "my room's blue" is incorrect. Blue is an adjective. Hoof is a noun....as in "my horse's hooves." One is a condition, one is tangible.

Like, you wouldnt say "My horse's spotted" for "My horse is spotted."

On the other-hand contracting a noun with an adjective is subjective, so long as the expression doesnt sound awkward.

See what you mean and the point Noira made. Guess it all boils down to taste - and the kind of narrative voice that you're using.

 

[Vermilion]

See what you mean and the point Noira made. Guess it all boils down to taste - and the kind of narrative voice that you're using.

It's dialogue anyway, not narrative, so no worries
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[JAMESBJOHNSON]

You'd be on firm ground if you wrote "My room's blue carpet," or "My horse's spotted coat."

Thinking about what the real problem is, it seems to me that contracting a noun with an adjective creates an unspecified referential indices, which creates momentary confusion in the reader..."My room's blue (what?)." Some half-wits will conclude the room is mildly depressed.

 

[Weird Harold]

PS. If you owned a stately home you could have "my blue rooms" for a suite of rooms in blue.

And if you were refering to the shade of blue those rooms were done in, it would be "my blue rooms' blue" or if it is multiple shades of blue, "my rooms' blues."

 

[Recidiva]

"my room's blue"

is a contraction of

my room is blue

"my rooms blue" is incorrect.

In this case it has nothing to do with possessive anything.

So it's not up to taste, it's entirely up to context.

 

[Stella_Omega]

This is where, after a while, the very word 'rooms' begins to look suspect...

I read one series where the author contracted every 'is' --and 'has' as well. It was a semi successful experiment, I'd say. The plot and the smut kept me reading long enough to get used to the peculiar style..

 

[Vermilion]

rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms

 

[Recidiva]

rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms

*circles every word with red pen on her monitor*

 

[glynndah]

So, I'm curious. Why is your room so unhappy?

 

[Vermilion]

So, I'm curious. Why is your room so unhappy?

tbh - I actually used 'blue' as the adjective because I thought it would transcend cross-atlantic language differences...
The original sentence is

"my room's a tip"

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[Recidiva]

tbh - I actually used 'blue' as the adjective because I thought it would transcend cross-atlantic language differences...
The original sentence is

"my room's a tip"

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Oooh, I've been watchin' Kim and Aggie, I have.

I've learned that word.