When we use it's for it is we are shortening the is after a pronoun
"it". It is fairly common and I consider correct to do the same thing
after other pronouns. that's for that is etc.
We say and use "you're" for you are (although 90% spell it your as they
don't understand the difference ror simply cannot spell but it is
correct to use "you're".
Shortening after a pronoun has been accepted for yonks.
Peter
On Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at 12:34 PM, Philip Veerman wrote:
I am only sending this to the list only because Michael sent his
question to the list. If you are not interested, please just ignore
this.
Whilst there are rules of grammar, it is best to stick to them,
otherwise we get confused. I think English is silly for having a s at
the end of a word to indicate so many different things. Apostrophe is
correctly also used for a shortening. However this is overdone and the
problem is that by using 's for shortening, it gets confusing. The
evidence being that people are obviously confused. I think the worst
offenders, who should know better, are TV newsreaders. It is necessary
to have programs such as the apostrophe preservation society to try
and keep things correct.
In regard to Michael's suggestion: what's for what is, is as follows,
take for example that John's hat is correct for describing the hat
that belongs to John (not that John is a hat) but John's sick for John
is sick is wrong and confusing and then John's been unwell for John
has been unwell make it even more confusing. Really the 's for
shortening should only apply to it's for it is. Even that is confusing
because for any other word an 's means possessive as in belong to it.
The only way out of the problem is for people to always think about
why the s is there and always use the words is and has in full.
I have written part of this in italics to make the quotes clearer.
However sadly the font change will not show after going through B-A.
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