Apathy Bonus Entry

[aggienaut]

I Don’t Care About Apathy: What I "Should" Care About – But Don’t (this week's way-too-long LJ Idol prompt)

I have just been reminded that there is something else society really thinks I should care about and I really don't: The ITS / IT'S GRAMMAR RULE.

I DO in general endeavour to spell correctly and follow grammar rules ... when they make sense.

I have no problem with rules that are consistent, like their/they're and your/you're, and correct use of apostrophes on contractions and to show possession. These rules make sense. There is, however, no rhyme or reason to "its/it's." And I am against completely arbitrary rules in all situations.

That and there's no way to remember it. I don't know how many times it's been explained to me "oh it's easy it just doesn't have an apostrophe when it's showing possession." ... but its NOT that simple, because it could just as easily be the reverse situation "...doesn't have an apostrophe when its a contraction" since they're both equally arbitrary aberrations of the rule.


And so. It's a rule that I happen to know at the moment since my MOTHER just informed me I had made the error all over the previous entry, but I will probably forget it by the time I next update. AND furthermore, its a rule I don't care about and don't care to care about. I am a conscientious objector to this rule because it is arbitrary and capricious.


Totally Unrelated Picture of the Day


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Comments

[y0ur-c0nscience.livejournal.com]

That annoys me as much as when something ends with a consonant, and you are supposed to double it to add -ing to it, like stop and stopPing. But words like eat do not end up as eatTing, but just eating. THERE SHOULD BE TWO OF THEM!

[livinsmall.livejournal.com]

there is more to the rule of "double the consonant" when the base word ends in a consonant. there also must be a vowel before the consonant. and i'm 99% sure that there's also a "short vowel sound" rule somewhere in there too. example: "hit" becomes "hitting" (short i sound plus the vowel/consonant combo equals "double the consonant"), but "meet" does not become "meetting" (because even though there is the vowel/consonant, it has the long e sound rather than a short sound). however, thinking about it now, i think it also might have something to do with the fact that there is a double vowel before the consonant in both the eating and meeting examples. Funny that I have to teach these grammar rules to my fourth graders, as if they're supposed to remember this stuff and then apply it to their actual writing! adults can't even remember the rules!

on another note though, re: it's and its. I find it very simple to remember, as it's is a contraction. and the rule for forming a contraction is to take two words "it and is" and combine them by replacing one letter with the apostrophe (the i in is). thus "it's" equals "it is". i always think of this rule first, before even considering the one without an apostrophe. i then know by default that "its" is the exception to the possessives rule that there needs to be an apostrophe. since "it's" follows the rules of forming contractions (just like "can't" or "doesn't") then I have no problem remembering it.

[johnmill79.livejournal.com]

Because I often listened to my stuff in audio, it was ages before I truly understood which "it's" should have an apostrophe. Now I use them correctly, but mostly just because I'm happy to finally have figured it uot! lol You're right though, a lot of these grammar rules are arbitrary.

[rejeneration.livejournal.com]

dawwwww, darlin'. This is so beautiful!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yes, grammar can be a beautiful thing. ;D

makig sense of its and it's

[caersidi.livejournal.com]

I never see it as arbitrary at all as 'its' is a word in its own right (a posessive pronoun along with his, hers and a few others) and 'it's' a contraction for two words ('it is' or 'it has') in the same way as don't for do not and they're for they are.

I'm no grammar nazi mind you but somewhere along the line most of this stuff seems to have become hard-wired into me.

Edit: I'm surprised no one chose apathy towards grammar/spelling as their response to this prompt.

Re: makig sense of its and it's

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

"'its' is a word in its own right (a posessive pronoun along with his, hers and a few others)"

Hmm you know I've never thought of it that way or had it explained to me that way. Maybe I'll be able to remember it now with that in mind.

[justkimu.livejournal.com]

YES! =)

Chuckles

[gythiawulfie.livejournal.com]

I almost like this one better than the other one.

I am FOREVER having to deal with the ITS and IT'S issue.

Glad I am not an editor though, I get it wrong often enough.

Re: Chuckles

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think I like this one better as well! Its more concise, less offensive.. (= Too bad I didn't think of it until after the other. /=

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Actually the best reason to insist on grammar rules is so that those who understand them can use them for a GOTCHA catching the ignorant fools who don't use them. So I guess it's an elitist thing. Therefore, if you're against elitist SOBs, ignore the grammar rules!

BTW, I voted against every entry last time that had grammar mistakes!!! (Though there was only one or two where the mistakes seemed to be anything other than careless typos.)

[kelly0182.livejournal.com]

That picture is gorgeous!

Pictures

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

(= thanks. I have another very similar to it and I'm torn as to which is better (and then a third from earlier in the morning which is different):

/ /

[boxsofrain.livejournal.com]

Aw, I adore you.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

=D ::blushes::

[angelic-mystic.livejournal.com]

I love the picture.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (=

I have several similar ones I took that same morning.

[jinx.livejournal.com]

yeah, although i tend to worship good grammar, i have to admit that its/it's does get confusing. the way i remember it is this: there are only two situations in which you ever use an apostrophe:

1) after a proper noun, to show possession (Marcia's dog, Canada's weather)

2) to signify where a letter (or several letters) has been removed.

that's it!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

But in re (1), it also follows non-proper (common) nouns, such as "the city's infrastructure" or "that guy's pet dog" yes? So the rule would seem to apply in "it's unique situation". /= I hate exceptions.