Punctuation: Mischievous Marks -- ( )'S (1977)

[music] [music] [bell] [music] Hello and welcome to Away. Way you go. [applause] [cheering] Our first contestant, come right in here, sir. Are you ready? Your first question. What do you call these curved punctuation marks? [music] Uh uh. Bows. >> That's wrong. But you still have one more chance to play. Away you go. What do you call the mark right before the S that indicates possess? Uh um one more second. >> Uh [laughter] that's wrong. Audience, what's the answer? >> Of course. [laughter] Well, you've not only didn't win the prizes, but sir, away you go. But for being such a wonderful sport, let's give this gentleman a great big hand. [laughter] [applause] And that's the way we play. Away you go. Now remember ladies and gentlemen, sometime someplace somewhere you may be a contestant on a show like this. So you have better watch and listen and learn. [music] The sign indicates the main idea or main context of a sentence. The reason I bring this up is >> hold it. >> Who are you? What does the I stand for? >> Interruption. >> Is that what you >> Yes. >> I was going to ask. >> Yes, that's what I am. An interruption. Or you may call me an insert. I might call you >> an interruption or an insert. Either one. >> What do you interrupt besides me? >> Sentences. I interrupt sentences. >> Wow. >> Well, I do it like >> Would you show me that in writing? >> Sure. I do it well by using my arm. >> I see. That indicates the interruption with the dash. >> Exactly right. This is a dash. This is two dashes. >> I wonder if you could. >> Yes, I can explain. With two dashes, I can insert a comment into the middle of a sentence. >> Show me. >> Okay, let's pretend this represents a sentence. >> And what is the main thing that sentence says? >> It says, "This game is vital." >> And you are going to insert your comment into that sentence. >> Yes. Believe me. Now, ordinarily, if you wanted to insert a mild aside, you do it with commas. This game, believe me, is vital. A very mild interruption. I only get in there when I want my presence noticed and emphasized. Here's how I do it. This game, believe me, is vital. That is more emphatic. When you separate the interrupting remark with dashes, the reader has to pause and notice it. >> Exactly. >> What if you don't want that much emphasis, but you want more separation than you get with commas? >> In that case, I use the elbows. I wedge in this way. This game, believe me, is vital. >> Ah, parentheses. You elbow your way in with parentheses. >> Yes. Look now at the various examples. Parentheses give more remoteness to the insert than commas do. And dashes give a more forceful separation than do parenthesis. >> I must say that seems purely a matter of choice. >> Yes, often it is writer's choice. Here's a way of deciding which to use. Henry, my brother, is absent. My brother is a casual aside, not too remote from the rest of the sentence. Commas will do. Henry, he's my favorite is absent. He's my favorite isn't really related to the rest of the sentence. It's a personal comment inserted by the writer. It's remote from the main thought. Parentheses indicate that remoteness. If you wish to give the added comment more emphasis, Henry, good heavens is absent, use dashes. It's possible to write well without ever using dashes or parenthesis, but if you learn how to use them, they do give you additional ways to express yourself. [music] >> [music] >> It's gone. Fred, >> what? >> Did you see my letter? >> No. >> I had a letter here. It's missing. >> Of course, it's missing. I know that. >> How do you know that? >> Because somebody put an apostrophe here. >> Huh? >> An apostrophe. People always put apostrophes where letters are missing. >> What? >> Sure. Everybody does it. I'll show you. >> Now ask me what time it is. >> What time is it? >> It is 9 of the clock. >> Why do you say of the clock? >> Because that's the full expression. You're just used to the fact that we condense it and write 9:00. That's why it has an apostrophe to show that some of the original letters are missing. >> When you read a condensed expression with an apostrophe in it, how do you know what letters are missing? >> Well, it's kind of a game and you have to figure out what letters are missing. Now, have a seat and I'll show you some condensed words and let's see if you can figure out what letters are missing. First, a word that I just used when I said let's see. What letters are missing? >> Let's When you said let's see, you meant let us see. So, the missing letter indicated by the apostrophe is you. >> Good. How about this contraction as in I'll show you? >> I'll do something is short for I will do something. The apostrophe indicates the letters wi are missing. >> Good. Try these contractions. >> That's easy. He is >> good. >> She is >> fine. >> It is. >> Right on. Now I understand why Fred knew my letters were missing. An apostrophe indicates where letters have been removed. >> For another use of the apostrophe, let's tune in on this commercial. >> [music] >> I'm a borrower, but I like to know who belongs to what and what [music] belongs to whom. That's why I use apostrophe s. [music] That way I know that this is Oscar's [music] desk. It's Dixie's chair, [music] Amy's lamp, and [music] I'm wearing Jane's coat. If you [music] have friends who possess things, give them the recognition they deserve. Give them apostrophe [music] s. Remember, for nouns that possess, [music] use apostrophe s. The apostrophe [music] s may also be used for the woman's shoe, the boy's [music] shirt, and people's problems. Put a sense of belongingness [music] into your life. Use apostrophe s. Let's see. This is Bill's cap. But whose glove and whose hat? When we're not definite whom we're talking about, we use indefinite pronouns such as somebody or anyone. So when making them possessive, we treat those words like nouns and write somebody's hat, anyone's glove. So, let's change our slogan a bit and say for nouns or indefinite pronouns that possess, use apostrophe s. >> Hold on. Hold on. I take exception to the statement that all nouns that possess take apostrophe s. >> Don't they? Note these words. Moses, Socrates, the Supremes. Here's a letter received from the Society of Sibilance. The Sibilance Society sincerely suggests words ending in certain sibilance sounds such as S [snorts] should not be made sillier sounding with additional S's. quite right. If we added an apostrophe and s to these words, we would have to say moes, soes, the supreme z. So we make such words possessive by adding only an apostrophe. We do not add another s. So we can read Moses Mountain, Socrates Society, the Supreme's album. Now that's much better than the Supreme's album, don't you think? So we should correct our rule. >> Retake for correction. >> Action. Remember, for nouns that possess, use apostrophe or apostrophe s. Notice something all of our examples have in common. The apostrophe and the apostrophe s are added to the original word. The word ahead of the apostrophe remains unchanged. Cover the apostrophe or the apostrophe s and the original word is still there. Why is that useful to know? I'll give you a problem that will show you why. This word needs an apostrophe. Where would you put it? Well, it depends, doesn't it? If we do it this way, g i r l apostrophe s. What does that tell us? It tells us that the original unchanged noun is girl singular. If we make our possessive case this way, g i r l s apostrophe, what does that tell us? It tells us that the original noun was girls plural. So, we find another advantage in adding only an apostrophe to words that end in difficult e s. It helps us tell singular from plural. If it's one person, as in the boy's overcoat, we add apostrophe s. [snorts] If it's more than one boy, as in the boy's choir, add only an apostrophe. Look ahead of the apostrophe and you will see that in each case the original word remains unchanged. Thank you for your attention. It's time once again to play away you go. [applause] [music] Contestant, how do you make the possessive out of this word? Add an apostrophe. Yes s. [applause] [applause] >> But how do you make the possessive out of the plural form of this same word >> and an apostrophe only? [applause] >> That's correct. And away you go. >> [music]