Are apostrophes important?

[Terry S]

I started the Tasman Racers threads, and the reason it had to be split into three parts was it ran to over 16,000 words and the forum limit is 10,000 words per post.
After hours and hours of research, and typing over 16,000 words, it was very appreciated to already receive four posts of compliments (plus Ken Hyndham on another thread “very well researched Rorstan thread”). To date there have been over 750 views of the three threads.
Then there is the poor sad nitpicker who after days of searching in all those words finally found an unnecessary single solitary apostrophe had been included. What can I say?

Imagine critically going through all those words and all you can find is an apostrophe. Nit picking must be hard work. Perhaps that is why so few practise it?
Then in part 2 out of all the thousands of words he picks on ONE single solitary word.

I understand this person is BANNED from the Ten Tenths Forum, and was banned for some time from Autosport’s Nostalgia forum.

May I quote a very recent example from last Saturday on the Nostalgia Forum. It is under the Australian Constructors thread, and in post 834 the moderator Vitesse 2 says
“Gentlemen - and in one or two cases I am using that word advisedly - I have removed several recent posts which were neither civil nor exactly on topic.
In future, rather than responding angrily or in an intimidatory fashion, please just hit 'report' and/or PM me. PMs get my instant attention when I log into the site.
As I said in a previous thread - To adopt the Australian vernacular: if youse blokes don't ease off on the barneying I may be forced to piss on a few people's parades. Or at the very least in their cornflakes”.
And guess who was in the middle of all that......

Surely life is too short for nitpicking. Why not be positive and constructive like the others on this forum and have happy days? Leave the other stuff to TNF.

[GD66]

There isn't a day I don't log on here and silently thank Steve for getting TRS up and running, and the host of drivers, mechanics and fans who have broken out the dusty contents of their bottom drawers to share with us all pics and yarns from Ye Olden Days.
I remember wondering at the time whether we were living in a bubble of fantastic motorsport over a few beers in great weather, with visitors from all over the world dropping by. Looking back now, it's clear we were, and piggybacking on kiwis' successes in F1 and other theatres it really did seem the norm.
There was a great fear that all that could have been lost, but thanks to TRS it is well and truly recaptured for all of us.
So don't worry about some school teacher stepping you out for an apostrophe. Or the omission of a comma, or even the use of a semi-colon when a colon would have sufficed. If you've got the goods in a yarn from Back Then, just cough it up, we'll figure it out somehow.
Takes all sorts, and especially so on a forum. Just shrug it off, and keep posting mate.


Unless you start using apostrophes as a default setting for plurals...then I'll start stalking you...

[Roger Dowding]

Terry S, my typing skills are terrible [ I just type that word as Treebile ], take heart from GD66 and the majority of us who love Motor Racing and Motoring in all forms and just want to relate our stories .. Your work on the Rorstans I need to read carefully, a very complicated story.
As GD66 said ..
" Takes all sorts, and especially so on a forum. Just shrug it off, and keep posting mate.", not like you are writing a book on the subject.

cheers, Roger, bad typist and proofreader..

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Terry S
I started the Tasman Racers threads, and the reason it had to be split into three parts was it ran to over 16,000 words and the forum limit is 10,000 words per post.....

As you think ill of me anyway, I'll just point out that Part 3 was 1,351 words. I think the 16,000 limit would be characters.

.....Then there is the poor sad nitpicker who after days of searching in all those words finally found an unnecessary single solitary apostrophe had been included. What can I say?

Imagine critically going through all those words and all you can find is an apostrophe. Nit picking must be hard work. Perhaps that is why so few practise it?

Then in part 2 out of all the thousands of words he picks on ONE single solitary word.

The only one I checked was Part 2, and that one only after I read that Oldfart had found some typos and you said you sought accuracy. There were three 'typos', not just the apostrophe. It took me a few minutes, I didn't spend any days 'searching'.

[Steve Holmes]

Terry, unless you specifically ask for feedback on your punctuation, then no, apostrophes are not important. At least, not on a free-to-view forum where you're giving up your own time to share or compile information you have that you want to share with others.

In a social media situation, generally, people don't sweat over punctuation, which is one of the reasons its so relaxed and popular.

So my suggestion would be, don't sweat it, life is too short. Thanks for the great info you've put together. I see you've split into three separate threads. It is possible to bring everything together into a single thread, and I am happy to do this for you if you like?

[Shoreboy57]

There isn't a day I don't log on here and silently thank Steve for getting TRS up and running, and the host of drivers, mechanics and fans who have broken out the dusty contents of their bottom drawers to share with us all pics and yarns from Ye Olden Days...So don't worry about some school teacher stepping you out for an apostrophe. Or the omission of a comma, or even the use of a semi-colon when a colon would have sufficed. If you've got the goods in a yarn from Back Then, just cough it up, we'll figure it out somehow....
:

And so say all (or almost all of us)

[Terry S]

Terry, unless you specifically ask for feedback on your punctuation, then no, apostrophes are not important. At least, not on a free-to-view forum where you're giving up your own time to share or compile information you have that you want to share with others.

In a social media situation, generally, people don't sweat over punctuation, which is one of the reasons its so relaxed and popular.

So my suggestion would be, don't sweat it, life is too short. Thanks for the great info you've put together. I see you've split into three separate threads. It is possible to bring everything together into a single thread, and I am happy to do this for you if you like?

Steve, I think you are missing my point on punctuation. I only raised it because some else had already done so. I don't sweat over it.

When I typed this in Word as one total story I found when I tried to post that it hit the forum's 10,000 limit, so I had to break into 3 parts. I personally think it would be better as one whole, so if you can do that it would be great. As long as all the positive comments are carried over.
Just one thing, if you do please delete the sentence near the start of part 1 about having to split into 3 parts, as it will be redundant.

[Steve Holmes]

No Terry, I didn't miss your point, you started a thread asking "Are apostrophes important?". My answer was, only if you've asked for feedback on your punctuation.

I'll bring those three threads together as one today Terry. Good work!

[ERC]

As one who failed school - totally, I have a ready retort if anyone criticises what I have written...

As I age and with a duff left hand, typing has become increasingly difficult and like Roger above, I end up having to correct 90% of what I thought I had written! if an odd missing or extra apostrophe gets through, too bad.

This is a great site and long may it continue.

One poster on another message-board writes everything in upper case and always has. Quite why, no one knows, but we let him off, despite the occasional dig, as his car is probably the best example in the world and the one we all agree is the standard to which most would aspire to emulate.

[alwylie]

As a self confessed nitpicker and compulsive corrector i try to suspend these tendency's when reading forum's like the roaring season. Not everyone has an eye for correct punctuation but some who dont still have good story's to tell and i wouldnt want to see them deterred by critical pedant's. Stalk me if you dare gd66

[Roger Dowding]

As a self confessed nitpicker and compulsive corrector i try to suspend these tendency's when reading forum's like the roaring season. Not everyone has an eye for correct punctuation but some who dont still have good story's to tell and i wouldnt want to see them deterred by critical pedant's. Stalk me if you dare gd66

alwylie -- shoudn't the " i ",s be capitals " I ",s ? ... as said " Bugger ".

[Allan]

Love your work Ray. It would take me three weeks to type something like that and I would wear out a finger doing it.

[GD66]

As a self confessed nitpicker and compulsive corrector i try to suspend these tendency's when reading forum's like the roaring season. Not everyone has an eye for correct punctuation but some who dont still have good story's to tell and i wouldnt want to see them deterred by critical pedant's. Stalk me if you dare gd66

Have a look outside. See that car parked over the road ? That's me, son....

I have a mate who's an apostrophe plural pedant as well, he received a letter from a govt utility company addressed to Mt Prospect Cresant, Mayland's, WA 6051. I arrived a few moments after the postie and he was still doing his block in the driveway...

[bry3500]

[Roger Dowding]

Bry3500, sums it up well, cheers

[John McKechnie]

Well found Bry3500

[kiwi285]

Good one Bry3500. Unfortunately it takes all sorts to make a world. As I have grown older I've learned that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake.

[Roger Dowding]

That was a great read Trevor - cheers

Trevor and Bry3500, perhaps our administrator could move this to a new thread, "Old Car stories " -
" Kiwi Specials " or similar.. there must be many..

[GD66]

Perhap's so...

[bry3500]

Trevor and Bry3500, perhaps our administrator could move this to a new thread, "Old Car stories " -
" Kiwi Specials " or similar.. there must be many..

Great idea