Aids HIV FAQ

Girls

Question:

Where to Pick up girls in Finland any Ideas

Response:

> Where to Pick up girls in Finland > any Ideas > —

In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other STD’s are rampant. Gary

Response:

{ snip } > In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other STD’s are > rampant.

What are ‘STD’s’ (sic) ? — Desmond Coughlan http: // www . zeouane . org

Response:

> { snip } > In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other > STD’s are rampant. > What are ‘STD’s’ (sic) ?

Sexually transmitted diseases. — Cheers, Harvey For e-mail, harvey becomes whhvs.

Response:

> Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophe’s, but their use really ’s of > such incredible simplicity, that it take’s a world-clas’s fuckwit not to know > that plural’s do _not_ take apostrophe’s.

I’s in agreement with you.

Response:

>Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use really is of >such incredible simplicity, that it takes a world-class fuckwit not to know >that plurals do _not_ take apostrophes.

They might not take them, but they are often given them. One of my personal favourites cropped up on a market stall:      TENNI’S BALL’S PB

Response:

>> Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophe’s, but their use really ’s of > such incredible simplicity, that it take’s a world-clas’s fuckwit not to > know > that plural’s do _not_ take apostrophe’s. > I’s in agreement with you.

<fx: slap>  ;-) — Desmond Coughlan http: // www . zeouane . org

Response:

Actually, it is not quite that simple. Until a few years back, the standard rule was that the plurals of numerals, symbols, and abbreviations were formed by using the apostrophe as well as the "-s." This usage has declined in recent years but is still considered by nearly all authorities to be quite correct. As "Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage" puts it, "Currently the older style and the newer style are used with about equal frequency. In the following example the author has chosen apostrophe plus ‘-s’ to pluralize sounds spelled in ordinary letters:  ’We sprinkle our speech with nonverbal sound effects, snorts and mm’s, sighs and tsk’s — Mitchell 1979.’" The rule that an apostrophe is not used to form a plural, however, is still generally a good one (barring a few exceptions such as this). I, too, am horrified by its frequent misuse. It is good to find others who care about the integrity of the English language. Ron

dit … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>> In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other >>> STD’s are rampant. >> What are ‘STD’s’ (sic) ? > Sexually transmitted diseases. > Ah, he meant ‘STDs’. > Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use really is of > such incredible simplicity, that it takes a world-class fuckwit not to know > that plurals do _not_ take apostrophes. > — > Desmond Coughlan > http: // www . zeouane . org

Response:

>Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use really is of >such incredible simplicity, that it takes a world-class fuckwit not to know >that plurals do _not_ take apostrophes. > They might not take them, but they are often given them. > One of my personal favourites cropped up on a market stall: >      TENNI’S BALL’S > PB

But thi’s doesnt have anything to do with picking up girl’s in Finland doe’s it? JohnT

Response:

: Where to Pick up girls in Finland : any Ideas I’m afraid you’re a bit late: the Wife-Carrying World Championships 2002 were already held on July 6th this year.  Maybe next time? ObURL: http://www.sonkajarvi.fi/ylasavo/sonkajarvi/sonkajarvi.nsf/(Follow)/8… Cheers, — Jani Patokallio  >O._,  The world is such a wide world, why do you answer

Response:

>>>> In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other >>> STD’s are rampant. >> What are ‘STD’s’ (sic) ? > Sexually transmitted diseases. > Ah, he meant ‘STDs’.

There’s a newsgroup devoted to this, incidentally:         alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe > Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use > really is of such incredible simplicity, that it takes a > world-class fuckwit not to know that plurals do _not_ take > apostrophes.

from Burchfield in _The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_: —-start quote— Plurals of nouns:  Letters, figure and abbreviations. All types were once normally written with ’s:  two VC’s, the 1950’s, etc.  Increasingly now the apostrophe is being dropped in the following types:  B.Litts, MAs, MPs, QCs, the sixties, the 1960s.  But after letters an apostrophe is obligatory: dot your i’s, mind your p’s and q’s. —-end quote—– — Cheers, Harvey For e-mail, harvey becomes whhvs.

Response:

-snip- > This topic was brought up on this newsgroup a while back.  I have > no idea what Webster says, but in any case, am somewhat elitist > with regard to English, and consider British English to be the > ‘correct’ version.  This is the English I speak, and the use of an > apostrophe to denote a plural in British English, is quite simply > an abomination.  Oxford decries its use, and Oxford is the supreme > arbiter of British English.

???  Oxford publishes Burchfield (I’ve quoted him at you in another post), and he points out that ’s was formerly standard, and whilst he says that dropping the apostrophe is "increasingly" done, he doesn’t condemn the older practice. — Cheers, Harvey For e-mail, harvey becomes whhvs.

Response:

>I’m afraid you’re a bit late: the Wife-Carrying World Championships 2002 >were already held on July 6th this year.  Maybe next time?

Oh, dear! Missed it again. Must an entrant carry his own wife, or may he borrow one? PB

Response:

-snip- > quote from Burchfield in _The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_: > —-start quote— > I’m sure you mean ‘quotation’; ‘quote’ is a verb.

Nope:  I meant "quote", as in the Collins (UK) definition, of "an informal word for quotation".  (I trust you’re not going to insist on banning standard informal usage in Usenet;  that’d be odd….) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Plurals of nouns:  Letters, figure and abbreviations. > All types were once normally written with ’s:  two VC’s, the > 1950’s, etc.  Increasingly now the apostrophe is being dropped in > the following types:  B.Litts, MAs, MPs, QCs, the sixties, the > 1960s.  But after letters an apostrophe is obligatory: dot your > i’s, mind your p’s and q’s. > —-end quote—– > From the same work … >      ’_Errant apostrophes_.  From the 15th c. onwards an >      apostrophe was often used in the plural number when the noun >      ended in a vowel, e.g. _grotto’s_, _opera’s_, _toga’s_. >      Since the mid- 19c., grammarians have condemned this use, but >      it continues to appear, to the amusement of educated people, >      in signs and notices, especially in shop windows (_potato’s >      10p a lb_, _video’s for rent_ >      [...]‘ >      (_The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_)

That’s his view on plurals of nouns ending in vowels.  All-consonant abbreviations such as STD don’t even overlap that category. He addressses the question of abbreviations in a topic-specific part of the article, and it is *that*  part of the article which applies to an abbreviation — or, if you prefer, an initialism — such as STD. — Cheers, Harvey For e-mail, harvey becomes whhvs.

Response:

But Fowler accepts it. And you cannot get much more British than that! Incidentally, there are numerous citations supporting the usage by British writers. However, if it matters, I also prefer the usage without the apostrophe. It is both more consistent and more elegant.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Actually, it is not quite that simple. Until a few years back, the standard > rule was that the plurals of numerals, symbols, and abbreviations were > formed by using the apostrophe as well as the "-s." This usage has declined > in recent years but is still considered by nearly all authorities to be > quite correct. As "Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage" puts it, > "Currently the older style and the newer style are used with about equal > frequency. In the following example the author has chosen apostrophe plus > ‘-s’ to pluralize sounds spelled in ordinary letters:  ’We sprinkle our > speech with nonverbal sound effects, snorts and mm’s, sighs and tsk’s — > Mitchell 1979.’" > The rule that an apostrophe is not used to form a plural, however, is still > generally a good one (barring a few exceptions such as this). I, too, am > horrified by its frequent misuse. It is good to find others who care about > the integrity of the English language. > This topic was brought up on this newsgroup a while back.  I have no idea > what Webster says, but in any case, am somewhat elitist with regard to > English, and consider British English to be the ‘correct’ version.  This is > the English I speak, and the use of an apostrophe to denote a plural in > British English, is quite simply an abomination.  Oxford decries its use, > and Oxford is the supreme arbiter of British English. > — > Desmond Coughlan > http: // www . zeouane . org

Response:

dit … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> { snip } >> Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use >> really is of such incredible simplicity, that it takes a >> world-class fuckwit not to know that plurals do _not_ take >> apostrophes. > from Burchfield in _The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_: > —-start quote— > I’m sure you mean ‘quotation’; ‘quote’ is a verb. > Plurals of nouns:  Letters, figure and abbreviations. > All types were once normally written with ’s:  two VC’s, the 1950’s, > etc.  Increasingly now the apostrophe is being dropped in the following > types:  B.Litts, MAs, MPs, QCs, the sixties, the 1960s.  But after > letters an apostrophe is obligatory: dot your i’s, mind your p’s and > q’s. > —-end quote—– > From the same work … > ‘_Errant apostrophes_.  From the 15th c. onwards an apostrophe > was often used in the plural number when the noun ended in > a vowel, e.g. _grotto’s_, _opera’s_, _toga’s_.  Since the mid- > 19c., grammarians have condemned this use, but it continues to > appear, to the amusement of educated people, in signs and notices, > especially in shop windows (_potato’s 10p a lb_, _video’s for > rent_ > [...]‘ > (_The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_) > — > Desmond Coughlan > http: // www . zeouane . org

Thanks a lot.  Now that you freeking English perfectionist’s have got involved we never will find out where to pick up chick’s in Finland. Ryan

Response:

> a dit … > from Burchfield in _The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage_: > —-start quote— > I’m sure you mean ‘quotation’; ‘quote’ is a verb.

No its not always, it can be a noun you have to consider it’s context.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Where to Pick up girls in Finland > any Ideas > — —– > In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other STD’s are rampant. > Gary

Response:

>No its not always, it can be a noun you have to consider it’s context.

Charles, do you know what the Irish expression "coat-trailing" means? PB

Response:

>>I’m afraid you’re a bit late: the Wife-Carrying World Championships 2002 >were already held on July 6th this year.  Maybe next time? >Oh, dear! Missed it again. >Must an entrant carry his own wife, or may he borrow one?

I bet Henny Youngman would have *loved* to have that as a setup for his famous punch line:  "Take my wife…  please!" — Dept. of Physics and Computer Science        Clinton, South Carolina USA

Response:

> Where to Pick up girls in Finland > any Ideas – > In Scandanavia  (Scandanavia ???)

and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other STD’s are rampant. Complete ridiculous.  Some of the lowest figures in the world. So for your knowledge out of CIA fact book http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html adult prevalence rate of HIV/Aids South Africa 19,94 % U.S                0,61% France            0,44% Canada           0,3% Denmark         0,17% UK                 0,11% Sweden           0,08% Finland            0.05% Norway    N/A (1600 out of 4500 000)

Response:

That””’’s me.  Third from the left on Mimi Bobeck-Careys desk. Gary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > Where to Pick up girls in Finland > > any Ideas > > — >  —– > In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other STD’s >  are rampant. > Gary

Response:

2002 16:58:27 +0000: >>> In Scandanavia and Finland you must be careful.  Aids and other >>> STD’s are rampant. >> What are ‘STD’s’ (sic) ? > Sexually transmitted diseases. >Ah, he meant ‘STDs’. >Sorry to be pedantic about use of apostrophes, but their use really is of >such incredible simplicity, that it takes a world-class fuckwit not to know >that plurals do _not_ take apostrophes.

My pet peeve is when people use single quotes when they should use double quotes.

Response:

:>I’m afraid you’re a bit late: the Wife-Carrying World Championships 2002 :>were already held on July 6th this year.  Maybe next time? :> : Oh, dear! Missed it again. : Must an entrant carry his own wife, or may he borrow one? The contest originates from a famous robber who liked to borrow others’ wives, but these days the female participants — while they may still be somebody else’s wives — must be willing.  Sigh. Cheers, — Jani Patokallio  >O._,  The world is such a wide world, why do you answer

Response:

{ snip } > My pet peeve is when people use single quotes when they should use > double quotes.

Except that no one ’should’ use double ‘quotes’ (sic) to denote a quotation, as the correct (i.e. British English) way is single quotation marks for a quotation, double quotation marks for a quotation inside a quotation. HTH. — Desmond Coughlan http: // www . zeouane . org

Response:

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