當(dāng)一個學(xué)生向教授提交書面作業(yè)或向律師事務(wù)所提交書面資料時， 沒有什么比錯誤的使用或不使用縮略符造成的負(fù)面印象更嚴(yán)重了。因此，掌握這些簡單，卻常常容易混淆的規(guī)則非常重要。
在四種情形下使用或不使用縮略符容易引起混淆，分別是（1）復(fù)數(shù)詞（2）單數(shù)所有格（3）復(fù)數(shù)所有格和（4）it's和its的縮寫形式（Contractions，see cross reference hereunder）與所有格。是否使用所有格，要先問問自己是否涉及領(lǐng)有關(guān)系。如果是領(lǐng)有關(guān)系，名詞或帶詞就要采取所有格。
規(guī)則1、Plain plural words do not require the use of an apostrophe. For example:
Incorrect: The lawyer's could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The apostrophe here incorrectly indicates a singular possessive.)
Incorrect: The lawyers' could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The apostrophe here incorrectly indicates a plural possessive.)
Correct: The lawyers could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The lack of an apostrophe here correctly indicates a plural, nonpossessive term.)
規(guī)則2、In singular possessive terms, place the apostrophe before the "s." This will indicate ownership by one person or thing. For example:
Incorrect: Our schools collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
Incorrect: Our schools' collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
Correct: Our school's collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
規(guī)則3、In plural possessive terms, place the apostrophe after the "s." This will indicate to the reader that more than one person or thing owns the thing possessed.
Incorrect: The students success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
Incorrect: The student's success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
Correct: The students' success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
規(guī)則4、How to distinguish "its" and "it's."
"It's" is the contraction of "it is," as in the sentence, "It's best not to question the judge's knowledge of the laws of evidence in open court." In formal writing, however, one generally should not use contractions. Thus, the better formulation of the sentence above would be: "It is best not to question the judge's knowledge of the laws of evidence in open court."
"Its" is a possessive, as in the sentence, "The truck lost its muffler as it entered the pothole-laden Kennedy Expressway." This is the rare case in which a possessive term does not take an apostrophe.
規(guī)則5、A less-often faced decision involves the use of apostrophes where multiple owners are named. Where two or more people own one item jointly, place an apostrophe before an "s" only after the second-named person. For example:
Incorrect: Bill's and Mary's car was a lemon, leading them to seek rescission of their contract under the state's lemon law.
Correct: Bill and Mary's car was a lemon, leading them to seek rescission of their contract under the state's lemon law.
However, when two or more people own two or more items separately, each individual's name should take the possessive form. For example:
Incorrect: Joanne and Todd's cars were bought from the same dealer; both proved useless, even though Joanne's car was an import and Todd's was a domestic model.
Correct: Joanne's and Todd's cars were bought from the same dealer; both proved useless, even though Joanne's car was an import and Todd's was a domestic model.
規(guī)則6、When creating the possessive form of words ending in "s," use only an apostrophe after the "s" if the word ends in a "z" sound. However, if the word ends in an "s" sound use an apostrophe and an additional "s" to create the possessive.
Less Desirable: He was a student in Professor Adams's class.
More Desirable: He was a student in Professor Adams' class.
However: He was a student in Professor Weiss's class.
Cross Reference: Contractions 縮約詞，通過省略或結(jié)合一個較長短語中的某些音素而形成的詞，如從 will not來的 won't，或短語如從 of the clock來的 o'clock。
譯注：apostrophe
省略符號, 撇號(')[用于 ①表示省略, 如:can't, (=can not); '88(=1988) ②表示所有格, 如 boy's; James' ③表示復(fù)數(shù), 如two 0's, four 9's ④表示年代, 如the 1980's (讀作 the nineteen eighties)20世紀(jì)80年代⑤表示一字中的某一音不發(fā), 如: 'lectric (=electric)]
在四種情形下使用或不使用縮略符容易引起混淆，分別是（1）復(fù)數(shù)詞（2）單數(shù)所有格（3）復(fù)數(shù)所有格和（4）it's和its的縮寫形式（Contractions，see cross reference hereunder）與所有格。是否使用所有格，要先問問自己是否涉及領(lǐng)有關(guān)系。如果是領(lǐng)有關(guān)系，名詞或帶詞就要采取所有格。
規(guī)則1、Plain plural words do not require the use of an apostrophe. For example:
Incorrect: The lawyer's could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The apostrophe here incorrectly indicates a singular possessive.)
Incorrect: The lawyers' could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The apostrophe here incorrectly indicates a plural possessive.)
Correct: The lawyers could generally be found after hours at the Hanover Street Bar and Grill. (The lack of an apostrophe here correctly indicates a plural, nonpossessive term.)
規(guī)則2、In singular possessive terms, place the apostrophe before the "s." This will indicate ownership by one person or thing. For example:
Incorrect: Our schools collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
Incorrect: Our schools' collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
Correct: Our school's collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries.
規(guī)則3、In plural possessive terms, place the apostrophe after the "s." This will indicate to the reader that more than one person or thing owns the thing possessed.
Incorrect: The students success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
Incorrect: The student's success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
Correct: The students' success was largely attributable to their hard work and dedication.
規(guī)則4、How to distinguish "its" and "it's."
"It's" is the contraction of "it is," as in the sentence, "It's best not to question the judge's knowledge of the laws of evidence in open court." In formal writing, however, one generally should not use contractions. Thus, the better formulation of the sentence above would be: "It is best not to question the judge's knowledge of the laws of evidence in open court."
"Its" is a possessive, as in the sentence, "The truck lost its muffler as it entered the pothole-laden Kennedy Expressway." This is the rare case in which a possessive term does not take an apostrophe.
規(guī)則5、A less-often faced decision involves the use of apostrophes where multiple owners are named. Where two or more people own one item jointly, place an apostrophe before an "s" only after the second-named person. For example:
Incorrect: Bill's and Mary's car was a lemon, leading them to seek rescission of their contract under the state's lemon law.
Correct: Bill and Mary's car was a lemon, leading them to seek rescission of their contract under the state's lemon law.
However, when two or more people own two or more items separately, each individual's name should take the possessive form. For example:
Incorrect: Joanne and Todd's cars were bought from the same dealer; both proved useless, even though Joanne's car was an import and Todd's was a domestic model.
Correct: Joanne's and Todd's cars were bought from the same dealer; both proved useless, even though Joanne's car was an import and Todd's was a domestic model.
規(guī)則6、When creating the possessive form of words ending in "s," use only an apostrophe after the "s" if the word ends in a "z" sound. However, if the word ends in an "s" sound use an apostrophe and an additional "s" to create the possessive.
Less Desirable: He was a student in Professor Adams's class.
More Desirable: He was a student in Professor Adams' class.
However: He was a student in Professor Weiss's class.
Cross Reference: Contractions 縮約詞，通過省略或結(jié)合一個較長短語中的某些音素而形成的詞，如從 will not來的 won't，或短語如從 of the clock來的 o'clock。
譯注：apostrophe
省略符號, 撇號(')[用于 ①表示省略, 如:can't, (=can not); '88(=1988) ②表示所有格, 如 boy's; James' ③表示復(fù)數(shù), 如two 0's, four 9's ④表示年代, 如the 1980's (讀作 the nineteen eighties)20世紀(jì)80年代⑤表示一字中的某一音不發(fā), 如: 'lectric (=electric)]