Apostrophes as abbreviation

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Sorry.

I was taught in school this usage was bad, even if a sentence sounded horribly wooden as a result.

It's not 'it's'. It is 'it is'. 'They are' not 'they're'.

While I'm about it - is the unconnected use of the pronoun 'this' the most annoying thing in the world?

― Bill (bill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

Who taught you? Robot Nuns?

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

you were taught wrong bill

also: fo'c's'le

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:54 (twenty years ago)

ev'rythin' should be abbreviated.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:55 (twenty years ago)

I think the rule only applies to academic writing.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:55 (twenty years ago)

They're not abbreviations, they're contractions, and are a perfectly acceptable way for the printed word to mimic something of the flow of the spoken word. I think "ain't" is even acceptable now.

― andy --, Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:58 (twenty years ago)

’u ‘r’ all gay

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:59 (twenty years ago)

I think the rule only applies to academic writing.

It might have done in the past, but try tellin' them crazy Post-Modernists that.

In other news: good stylists make their own rules.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:59 (twenty years ago)

haha wannabe-pomo academics mostly have the most ROBOT NUN writin styles of all

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

only the crappy wannabeez tho mark

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:02 (twenty years ago)

I think I was taught not to abbreviate precisely because it would sound like the dreaded vernacular...

― Bill (bill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:04 (twenty years ago)

Also, surely a contraction is just an abbreviation? Two words are abbreviated into one.

― Bill (bill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

Have you not heard, though? The new, hip post-post-modern stance is to create and enforce as many rules as possible.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut...shut...shut...shut...SHUT UP!

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:21 (twenty years ago)

Girolamo: OTFM!

― Bill (bill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:33 (twenty years ago)

Bill so fears abbreviation

that he stretches out his messages

with excessively long spaces.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:36 (twenty years ago)

http://www.stornc.rpggallery.com/images/thumbnails/RobotNunLoRes.jpg

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:54 (twenty years ago)

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Apostrophes as abbreviation - right or wrong?