One for the "Grammer" Nazi

[AZOffaly]

I'd be friends with a few of the newer, younger teachers on facebook and honestly some of they're spelling and grammar is woejus.

Please tell me that's ironic?

[ONeill]

Omagh CBS has bigger problems than a misplaced apostrophe.

The apostrophe is fine, assuming there's more than one christian brother, and they 'own' or run the school.

The issue is 'grammer'. But I've done that myself quite a lot. It's one of my spelling blind spots.

There should be no apostrophe in GSCEs.

[AZOffaly]

True that. I didn't look beyond the 'grammer'. I assumed they couldn't have made two boo boos. Mea culpa.

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

Someone needs to watch their p's and q's.  Or should that be ps and qs?

[Hardy]

Someone needs to watch their p's and q's.  Or should that be ps and qs?

  A difficult one, but the style manuals seem to agree that an apostrophe can be used to form plurals for acronyms and abbreviations if just adding an "s" makes the "word" hard to recognise as in ps and qs or 1s and 2s. I think it's the only case where you can use an apostrophe to form a plural. But you don't have to, so it's probably easier to observe the hard and fast rule – never use an apostrophe to form a plural.

[rosnarun]

So Grammar Nazi's who going to give us the correct version?
considering that the school belongs to the Christian Brothers?

[brokencrossbar1]

You wonder what the Headmaster of this school would think about this?

[ONeill]

Someone needs to watch their p's and q's.  Or should that be ps and qs?

  A difficult one, but the style manuals seem to agree that an apostrophe can be used to form plurals for acronyms and abbreviations if just adding an "s" makes the "word" hard to recognise as in ps and qs or 1s and 2s. I think it's the only case where you can use an apostrophe to form a plural. But you don't have to, so it's probably easier to observe the hard and fast rule – never use an apostrophe to form a plural.

You know where you can shove yer style manuals.

No excuse. Suffolk TV's in Hannahstown makes me wince.

[Hardy]

Wincing is a very Tyrone thing to do. A manly roaring curse would serve you better.

[Tony Baloney]

I'd be friends with a few of the newer, younger teachers on facebook and honestly some of they're spelling and grammar is woejus.

Please tell me that's ironic?

I gave Puck the benefit of the doubt on that one!

[Puckoon]

Minor seguey since all the intellectuals are in one thread here...

I've recently needed to send a large number of business proposals and it was suggested that the most professional way to start a business email was with a colon after the greeting, instead of a comma.

Dear Dr Suess:

Vs

Dear Dr Suess,

Maybe it's an American thing, but I'd never have even considered it previously. Anyone using the colon in this manner?

[Hardy]

Dear Puckoon,

That would amount to colonic irritation.

Yours sincerely,
Hardyarse The Fiddler.

[brokencrossbar1]

Dear Puckoon,

That would amount to colonic irritation.

Yours sincerely,
Hardyarse The Fiddler.

Guess who's back, back again, Fiddler's back, Tell a friend!!!

[seafoid]

Con Houlihan said it very well

"A man who will misuse an apostrophe is capable of anything"

[Puckoon]

Dear Puckoon,

That would amount to colonic irritation.

Yours sincerely,
Hardyarse The Fiddler.

Very good 

I've looked a bit more this morning and it seems in American business English the colon is preferrable for the initial salutation to a client etc... if this is the first email correspondence between both parties. After that the option seems to be remain with the colon, or move to the comma. Most "English" (country, not language) responses to this question are aghast at the prospect of the colon. One thing they agree on is that the semi-colon is not to be used.

What kind of bugs me is how "Best Regards" has just been shortened to "Best". No idea what that is about.