question for grammar grinches

[mimitabby]

... how would you spell "dos and don'ts?"

(I just can't believe it would be "do's and don'ts" or do's and dont's)...

I like do's and don'ts myself.
You put the apostrophe after the O in "do" because otherwise it looks like DOS.
with don'ts.. you don't have to. I think.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Merriam-Webster online shows the plural of do as either dos or do's.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/dos

It appears that this is a case without a right (or wrong) answer!

--- Denise

[Bad JuJu]

Yes, this is one of those situations in which you just have to make a choice and stick with it--do be consistent. And if you do choose to add the apostrophe before the -s, you still have to include the contraction apostrophe in don't's (just as I've written it).

If you're asking because of a work issue, be aware that many companies that deal in writing have official style manuals, where these questions might be answered. Or then again, they might not.

This question reminds me of a child's TV show I used to watch when I was pre-kindergarten age, where the teacher/hostess did a little skit with bumblebee puppets. It was called "Do Be a Do-Bee, Don't Be a Don't-Bee." Funny what our brains file away for future reference, isn't it?

[Kano]

This question reminds me of a child's TV show I used to watch when I was pre-kindergarten age, where the teacher/hostess did a little skit with bumblebee puppets. It was called "Do Be a Do-Bee, Don't Be a Don't-Bee." Funny what our brains file away for future reference, isn't it?

Romper Room with Miss Betty!

I remember too!

Karen in Boise

[KnottedYet]

Romper Room with Miss Betty!

I remember too!

Karen in Boise

Was she the one with the magic mirror that could see you? And she'd be lookin' through the dammm thing (no glass), saying kids' names?

That sumbich freaked me right out!

[Bikingmomof3]

Was she the one with the magic mirror that could see you? And she'd be lookin' through the dammm thing (no glass), saying kids' names?

That sumbich freaked me right out!

That is the show.

[five one]

Was she the one with the magic mirror that could see you? And she'd be lookin' through the dammm thing (no glass), saying kids' names?

I remember being so disappointed each day because she NEVER "saw" me. She only saw Linda, Bobby, Kathy, Tommy, Karen and a million Debbie's. Never Virginia. Sigh...

[KnottedYet]

I kinda run by the rule that you put an "e" after "o" for plurals (like in tomatoes and potatoes) but "does" means lots of female deers or the singular 3rd person verb-form of "do." So you dump the "e" and put in an apostrophe to hold its place.

Of course, if English were a purely phonetic written language, all this would be moot.

Have you ever notice how much "apostrophe" resembles "catastrophe"? And it often is...



Knot-the-warped-literature-major-child-of-a-long-line-of-librarians

[kelownagirl]

I kinda run by the rule that you put an "e" after "o" for plurals (like in tomatoes and potatoes) but "does" means lots of female deers or the singular 3rd person verb-form of "do." So you dump the "e" and put in an apostrophe to hold its place.

Of course, if English were a purely phonetic written language, all this would be moot.

Have you ever notice how much "apostrophe" resembles "catastrophe"? And it often is...



Knot-the-warped-literature-major-child-of-a-long-line-of-librarians

I am always wondering about numbers. When we say we are taking the Grade 3's I always put an apostrophe but someone told that is wrong. 3s just looks stupid.

[LBTC]

I am always wondering about numbers. When we say we are taking the Grade 3's I always put an apostrophe but someone told that is wrong. 3s just looks stupid.

If you follow the rule that all numbers below 10, when written officially, should be spelled out, then it would be Grade threes. Or you could say, children in the grade three class.

~T~

[Crankin]

As an English teacher, it kills me to see people put apostrophes when it is just a plural, not a contraction or posessive. I think some of us think that every time a word ends in an "s" that it needs an apostrophe....
The dos and don'ts are tricky, because that is sort of a slang expression, so what Denise read from the dictionary is the advice i would give students who were using it in a writing piece. And yes, numbers below ten should be spelled out.

Ha, I clearly remember Miss Francis. I think I must have been about three. And Romper Room. The "teacher" who was on the show in the Boston area was named Miss Jeanne. And for those of you MA people, anyone for Rex Trailer and a trip to Boomtown? I remember when I first moved back here in 1990, we were driving in Waltham and saw Rex Trailer's production company on a storefront, with his name on it. I got very excited, but my husband could not understand what the big deal was about a kid's TV show. I was addicted to that show until I was about nine.