“Thousand Dollars Worth” or “Thousand Dollars' Worth”. Is this a Possessive?
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I was writing the following sentence:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
Apart from the other questionable syntax in this over-stylized sentence, what occurred to me, courtesy of Microsoft auto correct, was that "thousand dollars" may need to be in possessive form, though it's not immediately occurring to me why this would be. So which is correct:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
or
Five thousand dollars' worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
possessives
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
add a comment |
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
I was writing the following sentence:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
Apart from the other questionable syntax in this over-stylized sentence, what occurred to me, courtesy of Microsoft auto correct, was that "thousand dollars" may need to be in possessive form, though it's not immediately occurring to me why this would be. So which is correct:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
or
Five thousand dollars' worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
possessives
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35
add a comment |
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
I was writing the following sentence:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
Apart from the other questionable syntax in this over-stylized sentence, what occurred to me, courtesy of Microsoft auto correct, was that "thousand dollars" may need to be in possessive form, though it's not immediately occurring to me why this would be. So which is correct:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
or
Five thousand dollars' worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
possessives
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
I was writing the following sentence:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
Apart from the other questionable syntax in this over-stylized sentence, what occurred to me, courtesy of Microsoft auto correct, was that "thousand dollars" may need to be in possessive form, though it's not immediately occurring to me why this would be. So which is correct:
Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
or
Five thousand dollars' worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.
possessives
possessives
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
edited May 17 '11 at 19:56
snumpy
6,44263254
6,44263254
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
asked May 17 '11 at 15:18
Bob Kaufman
2401411
2401411
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35
add a comment |
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
These cases aren't tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write "one dollar's worth"?
In other words, "dollar" naturally requires an "s" in this case, even though we are talking about "one dollar".
Therefore, it is a case of possession, meaning that we are referring to the "worth" of "thousands of dollars". So, the possessive apostrophe should fall after the "s".
The same rule applies to "seven years' jail" and "one year's jail". Many journalists etc. are clearly none the wiser about this topic, as even some of the most astute publications contain articles which omit the apostrophe.
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
The possessive is necessary because you're indicating that the worth or value possessed by the equipment is equivalent to the worth or value possessed by five thousand dollars. Hence, Five thousand dollars' worth
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
Normally I would say the possessive is necessary, but it is interesting to observe the trend in usage via Google NGrams:
As you can see, the possessive was overwhelmingly preferred beginning in the 1830s, crested around 1920, and after WWII has been in steady decline. It has been putting up roughly the same numbers as "dollars worth" beginning in the late 1970s, and has experienced a slight up-tick since around 2005.
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
These cases can be very tricky. I've found the following document very helpful in determining when to use apostrophes:
Genitive is Not Always Possessive.
The following section
(referring to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage)
is most relevant to your question:
They discuss a number of uses of the genitive and give examples of each.
Under 'descriptive genitive or classifying genitive', with the comment 'Fries adds the genitive of measure to this', they list:
the room's furnishings
the airplane's speed
the building's foundation
one day's leave
a dollar's worth
a year's wages
the Eighty Years' War
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
This is very similar to the "Two Weeks Notice" problem featured by Lynne Truss, the apostrophe campaigner and author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
It should definitely be "Thousand Dollars' Worth", by the way.
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
add a comment |
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5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
These cases aren't tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write "one dollar's worth"?
In other words, "dollar" naturally requires an "s" in this case, even though we are talking about "one dollar".
Therefore, it is a case of possession, meaning that we are referring to the "worth" of "thousands of dollars". So, the possessive apostrophe should fall after the "s".
The same rule applies to "seven years' jail" and "one year's jail". Many journalists etc. are clearly none the wiser about this topic, as even some of the most astute publications contain articles which omit the apostrophe.
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
These cases aren't tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write "one dollar's worth"?
In other words, "dollar" naturally requires an "s" in this case, even though we are talking about "one dollar".
Therefore, it is a case of possession, meaning that we are referring to the "worth" of "thousands of dollars". So, the possessive apostrophe should fall after the "s".
The same rule applies to "seven years' jail" and "one year's jail". Many journalists etc. are clearly none the wiser about this topic, as even some of the most astute publications contain articles which omit the apostrophe.
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
These cases aren't tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write "one dollar's worth"?
In other words, "dollar" naturally requires an "s" in this case, even though we are talking about "one dollar".
Therefore, it is a case of possession, meaning that we are referring to the "worth" of "thousands of dollars". So, the possessive apostrophe should fall after the "s".
The same rule applies to "seven years' jail" and "one year's jail". Many journalists etc. are clearly none the wiser about this topic, as even some of the most astute publications contain articles which omit the apostrophe.
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
These cases aren't tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write "one dollar's worth"?
In other words, "dollar" naturally requires an "s" in this case, even though we are talking about "one dollar".
Therefore, it is a case of possession, meaning that we are referring to the "worth" of "thousands of dollars". So, the possessive apostrophe should fall after the "s".
The same rule applies to "seven years' jail" and "one year's jail". Many journalists etc. are clearly none the wiser about this topic, as even some of the most astute publications contain articles which omit the apostrophe.
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
edited Nov 15 '17 at 5:49
Sven Yargs
110k18234490
110k18234490
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
answered Jul 2 '13 at 0:07
user47079
14612
14612
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
add a comment |
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
1
1
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
"Another words"?
– hunter2
Jul 5 '13 at 8:01
1
1
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
In other words?
– sv.
Sep 8 '15 at 20:36
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
Explanation by analogy and intuition is often risky. You say, «These cases aren’t tricky if you ask yourself the following question: how would you write “one dollar’s worth”?» I suspect that many English speakers would write “one dollar worth”.
– Scott
Jul 11 at 20:50
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
The possessive is necessary because you're indicating that the worth or value possessed by the equipment is equivalent to the worth or value possessed by five thousand dollars. Hence, Five thousand dollars' worth
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
The possessive is necessary because you're indicating that the worth or value possessed by the equipment is equivalent to the worth or value possessed by five thousand dollars. Hence, Five thousand dollars' worth
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
add a comment |
up vote
8
down vote
up vote
8
down vote
The possessive is necessary because you're indicating that the worth or value possessed by the equipment is equivalent to the worth or value possessed by five thousand dollars. Hence, Five thousand dollars' worth
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
The possessive is necessary because you're indicating that the worth or value possessed by the equipment is equivalent to the worth or value possessed by five thousand dollars. Hence, Five thousand dollars' worth
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
answered May 17 '11 at 15:25
Brian Driscoll
37716
37716
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
Normally I would say the possessive is necessary, but it is interesting to observe the trend in usage via Google NGrams:
As you can see, the possessive was overwhelmingly preferred beginning in the 1830s, crested around 1920, and after WWII has been in steady decline. It has been putting up roughly the same numbers as "dollars worth" beginning in the late 1970s, and has experienced a slight up-tick since around 2005.
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
Normally I would say the possessive is necessary, but it is interesting to observe the trend in usage via Google NGrams:
As you can see, the possessive was overwhelmingly preferred beginning in the 1830s, crested around 1920, and after WWII has been in steady decline. It has been putting up roughly the same numbers as "dollars worth" beginning in the late 1970s, and has experienced a slight up-tick since around 2005.
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
Normally I would say the possessive is necessary, but it is interesting to observe the trend in usage via Google NGrams:
As you can see, the possessive was overwhelmingly preferred beginning in the 1830s, crested around 1920, and after WWII has been in steady decline. It has been putting up roughly the same numbers as "dollars worth" beginning in the late 1970s, and has experienced a slight up-tick since around 2005.
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
Normally I would say the possessive is necessary, but it is interesting to observe the trend in usage via Google NGrams:
As you can see, the possessive was overwhelmingly preferred beginning in the 1830s, crested around 1920, and after WWII has been in steady decline. It has been putting up roughly the same numbers as "dollars worth" beginning in the late 1970s, and has experienced a slight up-tick since around 2005.
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
answered May 17 '11 at 15:45
Robusto
127k27303512
127k27303512
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
add a comment |
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
1
1
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
+1 for introducing NGrams to me... my latest complete waste of time!
– Bob Kaufman
May 17 '11 at 18:56
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
Thought this may also just been a combination of "dollars' worth" being a somewhat dated expression and the occurrence of "dollars worth"--correctly--in phrases like "How much is 100 US dollars worth in England" (which is one of the first search hits returned for "dollars worth")
– adam.smith
Aug 27 '14 at 18:15
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
@adam.smith Good point. This answer was given before I started reevaluating use of NGrams on ELU.
– Robusto
Aug 27 '14 at 19:45
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
These cases can be very tricky. I've found the following document very helpful in determining when to use apostrophes:
Genitive is Not Always Possessive.
The following section
(referring to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage)
is most relevant to your question:
They discuss a number of uses of the genitive and give examples of each.
Under 'descriptive genitive or classifying genitive', with the comment 'Fries adds the genitive of measure to this', they list:
the room's furnishings
the airplane's speed
the building's foundation
one day's leave
a dollar's worth
a year's wages
the Eighty Years' War
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
These cases can be very tricky. I've found the following document very helpful in determining when to use apostrophes:
Genitive is Not Always Possessive.
The following section
(referring to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage)
is most relevant to your question:
They discuss a number of uses of the genitive and give examples of each.
Under 'descriptive genitive or classifying genitive', with the comment 'Fries adds the genitive of measure to this', they list:
the room's furnishings
the airplane's speed
the building's foundation
one day's leave
a dollar's worth
a year's wages
the Eighty Years' War
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
These cases can be very tricky. I've found the following document very helpful in determining when to use apostrophes:
Genitive is Not Always Possessive.
The following section
(referring to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage)
is most relevant to your question:
They discuss a number of uses of the genitive and give examples of each.
Under 'descriptive genitive or classifying genitive', with the comment 'Fries adds the genitive of measure to this', they list:
the room's furnishings
the airplane's speed
the building's foundation
one day's leave
a dollar's worth
a year's wages
the Eighty Years' War
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
These cases can be very tricky. I've found the following document very helpful in determining when to use apostrophes:
Genitive is Not Always Possessive.
The following section
(referring to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage)
is most relevant to your question:
They discuss a number of uses of the genitive and give examples of each.
Under 'descriptive genitive or classifying genitive', with the comment 'Fries adds the genitive of measure to this', they list:
the room's furnishings
the airplane's speed
the building's foundation
one day's leave
a dollar's worth
a year's wages
the Eighty Years' War
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
edited Jul 11 at 20:29
Scott
6,53582849
6,53582849
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
answered May 17 '11 at 18:41
ajk
1,528912
1,528912
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
This is very similar to the "Two Weeks Notice" problem featured by Lynne Truss, the apostrophe campaigner and author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
It should definitely be "Thousand Dollars' Worth", by the way.
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
This is very similar to the "Two Weeks Notice" problem featured by Lynne Truss, the apostrophe campaigner and author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
It should definitely be "Thousand Dollars' Worth", by the way.
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
This is very similar to the "Two Weeks Notice" problem featured by Lynne Truss, the apostrophe campaigner and author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
It should definitely be "Thousand Dollars' Worth", by the way.
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
This is very similar to the "Two Weeks Notice" problem featured by Lynne Truss, the apostrophe campaigner and author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
It should definitely be "Thousand Dollars' Worth", by the way.
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
edited Jul 4 '13 at 13:51
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
answered Jul 2 '13 at 15:43
Phil M Jones
5,34311120
5,34311120
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
add a comment |
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Your link returns a 403-Forbidden response. Is there another way to see this, or can you post a summary?
– Bob Kaufman
Jul 2 '13 at 16:48
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
Link(s) edited.
– Phil M Jones
Jul 4 '13 at 16:00
add a comment |
protected by tchrist♦ Nov 16 '16 at 14:46
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?
See also this question at ELL: $2000 worth of items (two thousand dollar or dollars?)
– lly
Jul 11 at 7:57
Note that the possessive and the plural are pronounced identically, and the question is just about whether a silent apo'stroph'e should be included when it's written. Thus this is not a question about the language at all; nobody can tell the difference in speech. And nobody has a definitive answer for the punctuation, either. Hence, quit worrying about it; if you screw up, nobody can tell.
– John Lawler
Jul 11 at 20:35