DCA's

[soccerguy315]

"Changing style." Good Lord.

i dunno, everyone doesn't walk uphill to and from school now. Times are a changin'...

Apostrophes are sometimes used to make acronyms or other abbreviations plural (another matter of a local house style)

http://ethnicity.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/a.html

CERN (which I realize is scientific, not English oriented) says:

If the abbreviation contains internal punctuation, form the plural with an apostrophe s.

Ph.D.'s

M.C.S.'s

(but CPUs, LANs)

Edited September 18, 2010 by soccerguy315

[Michael Boo]

I'm with you on the grammar issue.... the misuse of apostrophes is a pet peeve of mine. That, plus Communism.

The Communists are the worst at apostrophe abuse.

[Fran Haring]

i dunno, everyone doesn't walk uphill to and from school now. Times are a changin'...

http://ethnicity.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/a.html

CERN (which I realize is scientific, not English oriented) says:

Perhaps.

But that guide also points to a number of hard and fast rules that have been followed for a long, long time.

And as far as I know, it still is improper grammar to use an apostrophe within a plural word.

Example: "The Boston Crusaders have hired a new director." NOT "The Boston Crusader's have hired a new director." It is THAT use of apostrophes that I see far too often, and it is incorrect.

[Fran Haring]

The Communists are the worst at apostrophe abuse.

Yes. For example, in the early days of the Soviet Union, the state intelligence service was called the KG'B.

It wasn't until Uncle Joe Stalin ordered the execution of several million intelligence-service officers, grammarians and language instructors, that the change was made to reflect proper grammar: KGB.

[Jeff Ream]

They probably meant DCAs.. with no apostrophe?

I dunno.. I always called DCA Championships as just "DCA"... not "DCAs".

i've heard it called that...kinda like in the old days the said they were going to Nationals. and I have heard people say they were going to DCI's

[Jocko the Wonder Llama]

MRE's = possessive

MREs = plural

That is your grammar lesson for today.

Correction: MRE = Meals Regurgitated by Everyone

Meals Rejected by Ethiopia

Maalox Rolaids and ExLax

Trust me, I've had to eat to #@$! many of them.

[byline]

No; you heard in the 70s and 80s about DCIs.

You mean you heard in the '70s and '80s about DCIs.

The big deal is once we lose rules about grammar, the door is open to lose other things that made this country great...such as Joe DiMaggio, Chia Pets and deep dish pizza. It would be a country in total anarchy, spinning towards absolute meltdown. If we don't try to stamp out bad grammatical practices, the terrorists win.

You too must be a fan of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves"; I feel like that book was written for me.

[bdon15]

Correction: MRE = Meals Regurgitated by Everyone

Meals Rejected by Ethiopia

Maalox Rolaids and ExLax

Trust me, I've had to eat to #@$! many of them.

Least favorite by far was the pressed ham and chicken loaf. I was the recipient of that unlucky draw more times than I can remember.

[The Oz]

Another thread that reminds me of that day at the old folk's home [note to mods: that is correct usage] when everyone's [also correct] hearing aid batteries run down.

[Jocko the Wonder Llama]

Least favorite by far was the pressed ham and chicken loaf. I was the recipient of that unlucky draw more times than I can remember.

I couldn't stand the "Jamacian Pork Chop" We had a Platoon Sergeant who is Jamacian, and he refused to have anything to do with it.