"Pegasus [MVP]" <news@microsoft.com> wrote in
news:#fFRZF7lKHA.5040@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl:
<SNIP>
> Seeing that plurals are generally formed by adding a
> trailing "s", you need to quote an authoritative reference
> that states whether acronyms (not abbreviations...) should
> be treated differently.
I appreciate your attitude, but I won't bother. I /think/ it was
in my 'Merriam-Webster's Guide To Modern English Usage' or
something.
BUT, since I have no life and lot's (sic) of f'ree (sic) ti'me
(sic), I DID bother:
(assuming ANYTHING on the internet can be considered an
"authoritative reference"...)
"Notice, furthermore, that we do not use an apostrophe to create
plurals in the following:
The 1890s in Europe are widely regarded as years of social
decadence.
I have prepared 1099s for the entire staff.
Rosa and her brother have identical IQs, and they both have PhDs
from Harvard.
She has over 400 URLs* in her bookmark file.
Authority for this last paragraph: Keys for Writers: A Brief
Handbook by Ann Raimes. Houghton Mifflin: New York. 1996."
(somewhere Google led me)
and
"To form the plural of an abbreviation, a number, or a capital
letter
used as a noun, simply add an 's' to the end.
- A group of MPs
- The late 1940s
- Mind your Ps and Qs
To form the plural of an abbreviation with periods, a lowercase
letter
used as a noun, and abbreviations or capital letters that would
be
ambiguous or confusing if the 's' alone were added, use an
apostrophe
and an 's'.
- A group of M.P.'s
- The x's in the equation
- Sending SOS's"
Writer's Block: Plural and Possessive Abbreviations
http://www.writersblock.ca/tips/monthtip/tipmar96.htm
"Proper Use of the Apostrophe to Form Plurals
An apostrophe is also used to form some plurals, especially the
plural
of letters, symbols, and digits.
- Regina received four A's on her report card.
- Timothy used too many &'s in his paper.
- The judges gave the diver two 9's and two 8's.
It is no longer considered necessary or even correct to create
the
plural of years or decades or abbreviations with an apostrophe.
- He wrote several novels during the 1930s.
- There are fifteen PhDs on our faculty.
- My sister and I have identical IQs.
(If you wrote Ph.D. with periods, you would add an apostrophe
before
the pluralizing 's': Ph.D.'s) If the abbreviation ends in 'S,'
it's a
good idea to separate this final 'S' from the pluralizing 's'
with an
apostrophe: SOS's"
EditFast Grammar Resource: Apostrophes: Forming Plurals
http://www.editfast.com/english/grammar/apostrophes/apostrophe_p
lurals.htm
It should be noted that, in this matter, the New York Times does
not
observe the generally-accepted rules:
"Use of plurals is another area of confusion to authors and
editors.
As with everything, Chicago/Turabian style takes precedence in
this
project. One area of specific confusion when it comes to
computer
terms is with acronyms. Most people mistakenly add an apostrophe
and
letter 's' to make an acronym plural. The major proponent of
this
incorrect method is 'The New York Times,' even though all
publishing
houses and computer magazines agree that it is wrong.
The correct method is just to add the letter 's' to the acronym.
Here
are some examples:
PBXs (not PBX's)
VLANs (not VLAN's)
NICs (not NIC's)
PCs (not PC's)
The possessive of an acronym plural has the apostrophe after the
s.
PBXs'
VLANs'
NICs'
PCs'
The only time we accept an 's is when the acronym is separated
with
periods. For example, Ph.D.'s."
Computer Dictionary Project
http://computerdictionary.tsf.org.za/project/
Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: abbreviation plural apostrophe
/www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=abbreviation+plural+apostrophe
I hope this clears things up a bit. Basically, it's best to take
it
easy with the apostrophes. But if you use 'em and somebody
criticizes
your usage, you can always point to the New York Times as your
model.
Best,
Pink"
(somewhere else Google led me)
/BUT/
"Apostrophes in Plurals
The plurals of abbreviations, letters and numbers can be written
using apostrophes.
Examples:
He sent 3 SOS's between midnight and 6 a.m.
There are two a's in accommodation.
Your 2's look like your 7's.
1000's of bargains."
(yet somewhere else Google led me)
AND
"Including the apostrophe is the older usage, but is still
considered standard, along with the newer practice, at least in
American English. The apostrophe continues to be preferable when
presented in an environment of all-capital letters (as in some
store signs): CD'S, DVD'S."
(yet somewhere /else/ Google led me)
So I gues's its what you want's it to be's.
English, like art, is dead.
Long live the NWO.
thanatoid ha's sp'oken.
--
There are only two classifications of disk drives: Broken drives
and those that will break later.
- Chuck Armstrong (This one I think,
http://www.cleanreg.com/,
not the ball player. But who knows. I can't remember where I got
the quote. But it's true.)
