[Dan]

Now ..... do I please Dan and make sure I use them or just carry on typing as fast as I can? 

Just keep typing fast, I know what you mean. 

[mab]

It's the same with commas - old texts use far more than we do.

I must be old then 'cos I use them a lot - except when i use a dash.


I can do the missing letter apostrophe, but I always wondered where you would use the apostrophe at the end (e.g.  its' ) or doesn't it ever go there?


M

[lachlanandmarcus]

I only use them when I know it is correct, which is most tho not all of the time.
Here is the chapter and verse on when to use the apostrophe; this guide also covers the 'apostrophe after the end of the word' scenario.
I would say unless people are confident they are using them correctly, leave them off as it is quite distracting to read posts where they are incorrectly used, and no-one is likely to take correction without getting offended.
However the world is unlikely to end.
A ban would be an insult to those who do know how and when to use them, a sort of compulsory dumbing down.

[jaykay]

Apostrophes at the end are 'belonging to' type apostrophe and are to do with something belong to plural things. So:

Cat's tails - one cat, several tails
Cats' tails - several cats and several tails (hopefully matching numbers  )

The ones I have no idea how to use are colons and semicolons. Can anyone explain?

[Small Farmer]

It is possible (or it's possible) to live a full and long life without using either a colon or a semicolon other than as part of your digestive system.  Short sentences are good.  Short sentences are less prone to rambling and confusions of thought.  But if you must:


Colons used in a sentence add another idea to what is already a complete sentence.  That idea follows on from the first part.  My garden is full of flowers: there are also some old cars and a shed.


Semicolons are followed by information that relates back to what was said in the first part.  My garden is full of flowers; red, blue and white ones.


You can also use colons in lists, and semicolons where a comma would be confusing.  Short sentences are still a good idea though. Any sentence which can be misunderstood will be misunderstood.  Dashes are rather easier to use - that's what I find, anyway. And you can start a sentence with "and" as long as it's intentional.


Next week we'll cover the subjunctive: the week after it'll be the gerund.

[in the hills]

As an ex-primary teacher, I can decode most things and just like reading other peoples ideas, experiences and thoughts.
 
It really is the content that matters, in my opinion.
 
Keep typing everyone - any which way you like. 

[jaykay]

Thanks SF  Yes, I prefer short sentences on the whole.

Lol ITH - I say that when people apologise about spelling and handwriting - I am a secondary teacher, used to extracting meaning from the most unpromising material 

[suziequeue]

"But if its means 'belongs to' ie its leg, then no apostrophe."
[/size][/color]
  [/size] [/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]Surely if it is "belonging to" then there is an apostrophe e.g. Mr Smith's newspaper  as in: the newspaper of Mr Smith.[/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]However, if it was the newspaper of the Smith family i.e. the newspaper of the Smiths - then it would be the Smiths' newspaper[/color]

[jaykay]

Not for its.

The dog scratched its ear with its back foot.

Fred's ear was scratched by Fred's back foot.

[Small Farmer]

It's true.


The revenge of the British Empire is to have provided a language which the rest of the world is busily adopting despite its difficulty and rich stock of irregular verbs, spellings and pronunciations.  When the boys were small we had a Norwegian au pair whose English had been learned from watching Eastenders.  That was interesting for all of us!

[Simple Simon]

When we opened an office in Paris we discovered that the staff had bought a small collection of DVDs to assist their grasp of English.  These included Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

[jaykay]

  Yep, they'd have learned some interesting English from those 

[Sudanpan]

I like the challenge of the apostrophe 


I can't STAND the dumbing down of the written word with so called 'text speak' - it takes me ages to read the garbage that gets created: ur here 2nite 4 tv - lol


  ARGGHHHHHHH 

[little blue]

I have been known (quite often!) to correct the memos & notices on the work notice board ... I find it very unprofessional in what is meant to be an educational establishment!
   I am particularly annoyed by "TA's" for Teaching Assistants [sic]
And I am hot on misplaced / missing apostrophes too....

[Simple Simon]

Sounds like quite a cluster of grammar police gathering...