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Message |
Steve
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 6:52 pm
Post subject: One months notice |
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One months notice
or
One month's notice
How does that work then?
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John Hall
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:57 pm
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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In article <cgt1ke$7i2$1@sparta.btinternet.com>,
Steve <me@privacy.net> writes:
| Quote: |
One months notice
or
One month's notice
How does that work then?
|
The second is correct. It's equivalent to "notice of one month", i.e.
it's a possessive.
--
John Hall
You can divide people into two categories:
those who divide people into two categories and those who don't |
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Joe Fogey
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:55 am
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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According to the Guardian stylebook, "use apostrophes in phrases such as in
two days' time ..... where the time period (two days) modifies a noun
(time), but not in nine months pregnant ....... where the time period is
adverbial (modifying an adjective such as pregnant.....)". Notice in this
case is a noun so it would be one month's notice.
Fogey
"Steve" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:cgt1ke$7i2$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
| Quote: |
One months notice
or
One month's notice
How does that work then? |
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John Briggs
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 4:39 am
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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Joe Fogey wrote:
| Quote: | According to the Guardian stylebook, "use apostrophes in phrases such as
in two days' time ..... where the time period (two days) modifies a noun
(time), but not in nine months pregnant ....... where the time period is
adverbial (modifying an adjective such as pregnant.....)". Notice in this
case is a noun so it would be one month's notice.
|
The advice is certainly correct - but I'm not convinced by the reasoning.
--
John Briggs |
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Matti Lamprhey
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 2:23 pm
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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"John Briggs" <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com> wrote...
| Quote: | Joe Fogey wrote:
According to the Guardian stylebook, "use apostrophes in phrases
such as
in two days' time ..... where the time period (two days) modifies a
noun
(time), but not in nine months pregnant ....... where the time
period is
adverbial (modifying an adjective such as pregnant.....)". Notice in
this
case is a noun so it would be one month's notice.
The advice is certainly correct - but I'm not convinced by the
reasoning. |
It's a possessive-type case expressing the notion "notice OF [time
period]".
A simpler test is to ask yourself how you would express it were the
period just one month. If you use _one month_ then it's adverbial (no
apostrophe); if you add the 's' then it must be _one month's_.
Matti |
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John Briggs
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 6:55 pm
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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Matti Lamprhey wrote:
| Quote: | "John Briggs" <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com> wrote...
Joe Fogey wrote:
According to the Guardian stylebook, "use apostrophes in phrases such as
in two days' time ..... where the time period (two days) modifies a noun
(time), but not in nine months pregnant ....... where the time period is
adverbial (modifying an adjective such as pregnant.....)". Notice in
this case is a noun so it would be one month's notice.
The advice is certainly correct - but I'm not convinced by the reasoning.
It's a possessive-type case expressing the notion "notice OF [time
period]".
|
Yes, I know. But I wonder if that's what they mean by "modifies a noun".
| Quote: | A simpler test is to ask yourself how you would express it were the
period just one month. If you use _one month_ then it's adverbial (no
apostrophe); if you add the 's' then it must be _one month's_.
|
I'm not convinced that it really is adverbial, rather than adjectival.
--
John Briggs |
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Matti Lamprhey
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2004 7:21 pm
Post subject: Re: One months notice |
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"John Briggs" <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com> wrote...
| Quote: | Matti Lamprhey wrote:
"John Briggs" <john.briggs4@ntlworld.com> wrote...
Joe Fogey wrote:
According to the Guardian stylebook, "use apostrophes in phrases
such as in two days' time ..... where the time period (two days)
modifies a noun (time), but not in nine months pregnant .......
where the time period is adverbial (modifying an adjective such as
pregnant.....)". Notice in this case is a noun so it would be one
month's notice.
The advice is certainly correct - but I'm not convinced by the
reasoning.
It's a possessive-type case expressing the notion "notice OF [time
period]".
Yes, I know. But I wonder if that's what they mean by "modifies a
noun".
A simpler test is to ask yourself how you would express it were the
period just one month. If you use _one month_ then it's adverbial
(no apostrophe); if you add the 's' then it must be _one month's_.
I'm not convinced that it really is adverbial, rather than adjectival.
|
You'd be right not to be convinced -- it IS adjectival. That's when the
apostrophe is required.
Perhaps this is the best way to tie my rule in with the Guardian's:
when the period modifies a noun, it's adjectival and represents "<noun>
OF <period>" -- possessive in form and requiring the apostrophe; when,
on the other hand, the period modifies an adjective, it's adverbial and
represents "<adjective> FOR <period>" -- not possessive in form and not
requiring the apostrophe.
Matti |
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