<p>I have been trying all night to think of something witty to come back with but then I freeze at the thought of writing on the grammar thread. I probably should get my daughter to proof read this response. Sincerely, “Onward”</p>
<p>As a very young child I was quite bothered by the difference between, “in back of the house” vs. “in the back of the house.” I would actually puzzle over this over and over. For some reason, leaving out the second “the” made me very very uncomfortable. Must have spoken another language in a prior life. You smart people - which is correct, please?</p>
<p>This was about the same phase of life when I learned that a washing machmine was actually a washing machine. LOL!</p>
<p>They don’'t mean the same thing to me:</p>
<p>“in back of the house” –> behind the house
“in the back of the house” –> still inside the house but at the back side</p>
<p>Lightbulb! Musta been Russian.</p>
<p>“Why you have word, the, in language? What purpose?” Zo. “Why you say in back of zeh house? Why you not say zerefore in zeh back of ZEH house? Ehhhh???” Meshugenuh Americans.</p>
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<p>I’m no expert, but that is a glaring grammatical mistake that really annoys me. It just makes the speaker seem ignorant. To my ear, it ranks right up there with “I seen it.” I don’t know why. I suppose it’s just a personal pet peeve.</p>
<p>I really enjoy these types of threads. I always end up learning something new, and I enjoy finding out what irks other people.</p>
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<p>I’ve noticed this recently while watching the World Cup. When the announcer is British, he will say “Germany are about to earn a place in the semifinals.”</p>
<p>What about this one?</p>
<p>We have a lake house in a community where many people have posted signs bearing their last names on their front gates. </p>
<p>The Smith’s</p>
<p>The Smiths</p>
<p>The Smiths’</p>
<p>Which one is correct? I am of the opinion that “The Smiths” is correct. It implies that “The Smiths live here,” or “Home of the Smiths.” </p>
<p>But one could argue that it should read The Smiths’, since it implies “The Smiths’ residence.”</p>
<p>Most of the signs, however, read “The Smith’s.” I can’t really find any justification for this choice. Am I wrong? </p>
<p>Like most of these grammar questions, it’s “all small stuff,” but I often ponder this question on my walks. My husband thinks I’m a total psycho.</p>
<p>Speaking of pet peeves, here’s one that’s not exactly grammatical: when people mistransliterate common expressions:</p>
<p>When all is said in done
For all intensive purposes</p>
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You’re exactly right, unless the property in question is owned by a blacksmith.</p>
<p>I greatly prefer “The Smiths.” Emphasizing presence rather than possession seems more civilized.</p>
<p>quick question:</p>
<p>When you are using parentheses to add a tangential thought to a sentence, do you place the period at the end of the parenthesis or before?</p>
<p>Example:
I hope everyone has a great day (and an enjoyable weekend).</p>
<p>versus:</p>
<p>I hope everyone has a great day (and an enjoyable weekend.)</p>
<p>
What if your last name ends in s?</p>
<p>psychmom: The period goes outside the parentheses unless the entire sentence is contained within the parentheses.</p>
<p>notrichenough: I would add -es (and then an apostrophe if you want to use the possessive form):</p>
<p>The Youkilises</p>
<p>The Youkilises’</p>
<p>Although in that situation I’d be tempted to scratch the plural entirely and go with just plain</p>
<p>Youkilis</p>
<p>
Unless the phrase within the parentheses is a complete sentence, the period goes outside the final parenthesis to indicate the end of the sentence, as in your first example. If the phrase within the parentheses is a complete sentence, two periods are necessary: one to end the prior sentence, and one within the parentheses to end the parenthetical statement.</p>
<p>Example:
I hope everyone has an enjoyable day. (Even though it’s only Wednesday, I hope everyone has a great weekend, too.)</p>
<p>Thank you, nightchef and Chevda!</p>
<p>Nightchef, I was always taught that if a name ends in s then an apostrophe would be added after the s. </p>
<p>ex: Jones’</p>
<p>I think that nowadays it is more likely to be written Jones’s. I still do it the way I was taught. Anyone know which way is preferred?</p>
<p>Onward–I do it the same way you do it: Jones’. But that would be the possessive for a singular Jones, not a pair of Joneses.</p>
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<p>No, it’s not whether it ends in s that counts; it’s whether it ends in s and the s indicates it is plural. Jones is not plural, so adding es is correct.</p>
<p>The two exceptions to this rule by convention are Moses and Jesus. For those two names the posessives are Moses’ and Jesus’, respectively.</p>
<p>So, how do you write about a ball that belongs to Douglas?</p>
<p>Douglas’s ball? I think so, but I am one of the few and it does look odd. (No, you don’t get to write: Doug’s ball.)</p>
<p>Another pet peeve: Today I was watching a White House briefing on CCN. The first correspondent to ask a question says, “I and my colleagues…” If you are a national correspondent, you should know better. At least she didn’t say me. </p>
<p>The truth is that she probably should not have started her question with I; however, she certainly wasn’t speaking for all of her colleagues either.</p>
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<p>Singular = Douglas</p>
<p>Singular possessive = Douglas’s</p>
<p>Plural = Douglases</p>
<p>Plural possessive = Douglases’</p>