Wordie: At Least Two Apostrophes Or Your Money Back: Comments

Comment by rajington, 8 days ago

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:05:22 +0000

ya'll'dn't've'd (you all would not have had) this discussion without wordie

Comment by whichbe, about 1 month ago

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:25:14 +0000

N'ev'e

Comment by bilby, 2 months ago

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:52:11 +0000

It's probably for the ring'a'ring'a'rosy team ;-)

Comment by sarra, 2 months ago

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:49:06 +0000

Oh dear. Not a suggested addition, but a sign outside a sports centre near me advertises five'a'side!

Comment by bilby, 4 months ago

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:51:52 +0000

Bless you.

Comment by daemonelson, 4 months ago

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:43:34 +0000

I'dn't've. I appear to use this one a lot.

Comment by bilby, 4 months ago

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:47:42 +0000

Thanks for the suggestions. Sha'n't's already there and ai'n't's plausible. Not sure I grok wha'd'ya know good.

Comment by frindley, 5 months ago

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:45:51 +0000

Mark Twain in his Samuel Clemens hat had something to say on this subject, being an advocate for sha'n't and possibly ai'n't (or something similar, it was a long time ago that I read it).

Comment by Asativum, 5 months ago

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:28:35 +0000

I've never seen wha'd'ya know good written out, so the apostrophes could vary. Still, seems like a good candidate.

Comment by Minerva, 10 months ago

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:51:14 +0000

Another one: be'n't.

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:02:19 +0000

r'n'b's a different case because the graph r 'n' b just seems too spaced out, lazy, undynamic and inco-shiftya-ass-herent to make much sense at all.

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:58:16 +0000

The rock'n'roll effect is that it saves space in tabloid headlines:
ROCK'N'ROLL STAR
SUICIDES AT HOTEL
We've all probably seen some formulation like this. It's trite but also a curious linguistic phenomenon and my curi needs feeding.

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:47:10 +0000

I'druther'ven't missed the ones I missed! I'm an addict of rocky dialectical ground ... are there other types of ground?! If you can render Dalziel and Pascoe (in full Warren Clarke) into phonetic spelling I think I'll die a happy man :-)

Comment by sarra, 10 months ago

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:26:25 +0000

Gosh, if you're counting grocer's apostrophe's, you could go miles with this list...

P.S. Either you've missed some clues, or you choose to be judicious!

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:43:40 +0000

Sarra's so cute when her dialect is showing! I defend tam'o'shanter on four counts. 1) I did a search and found this exact spelling on at least fifty websites. So some people like/use it, even if it's a load of hooey; 2) It embodies the Grocer's Apostrophe effect, which like it or not is one of the few thing's keep apostrophe's alive in English today. I was walking past a Travelling Peoples Centre today and I thought 'Hey, these people don't even have real houses, at least you could spare them an apostrophe'; 3) It's a load of nonsense, and I have deep affection for nonsense; 4) I forget number four, but it was probably devastating.

Comment by sarra, 10 months ago

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:52:25 +0000

I can't stop. Daft ha'p'orth am I. (It's even 'a'p'orth round our way.)

Comment by sarra, 10 months ago

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:50:56 +0000

Two more! One is that if you have bos'n's you can have cap'n's. T'other's from Yorkshire. ;)

Comment by sarra, 10 months ago

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:31:30 +0000

sha'n't is fine, as it was once shalln't.
I di'n't see one I might sometimes use in there. I also like wu'n't (for possibly both of wouldn't and won't), but that's rocky dialect ground.

Unfortunately you oughtn't've had tam'o'shanter: it should really be tam-o'-shanter (there's nothing missing before the o, so it doesn't warrant an apostrophe). Wanting spaces are rock 'n' roll and fish 'n' chips, though these could stay. And add pick 'n' mix!

Comment by Minerva, 10 months ago

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:37:11 +0000

This list is wonderful, i'n't it?

Comment by chained_bear, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:56:48 +0000

'tweren't and 'twasn't. We use this at work all the time.

I like sha'n't, but I think technically it's usually shan't.

How would one use o'clock's in a sentence properly? How can that word have a possessive version? EDIT: Just saw Bilby's comment on the o'clock's page. Thanks for answering the question!

Oh! Oh! I got one: 'twouldn't've. Wow!

Comment by kewpid, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:08:20 +0000

sha'n't

Comment by reesetee, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:57:03 +0000

Not sure if this is kosher, bilby, but how about the possessive of bos'n (bos'n's)?

Comment by seanahan, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:04:11 +0000

'twasn't the night before Christmas.

Comment by skipvia, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:02:01 +0000

Well, c_b, if anybody'd've, you'd've.

These are hard to type...

Comment by chained_bear, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:56:24 +0000

Well, who'd've thought? We'd've, apparently.

I wish I could think of some more slangy interesting ones than these. I'll shut up until I do.

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:13:30 +0000

I'll've to let the bear go if he keeps this up.

Comment by chained_bear, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:08:03 +0000

Ha! Love the list, love the title. I'll think of some more. Or I'll've been remiss.

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:55:54 +0000

Any more cockneys, roll on up.

Comment by uselessness, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:00:44 +0000

Here's a vote for 'tain't. :-)

Comment by bilby, 10 months ago

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:08:37 +0000

Done. Send me the bill.

Comment by Asativum, 10 months ago

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:56:31 +0000

Nifty. How about shouldn't've, wouldn't've and couldn't've?

Comment by jennarenn, 10 months ago

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Cool idea. See y'all for a discussion of contractions.