Snit
"NRen2k5" <nomore@email.com>stated in post Fyaqg.70538$x.359687@weber.videotron.net on 7/3/06 8:18 AM:

NRen2k5
Snit wrote:

Snit
"NRen2k5" <nomore@email.com>stated in post ig1qg.42485$x.289012@weber.videotron.net on 7/2/06 9:44 PM:

NRen2k5
Snit wrote:

Snit
"NRen2k5" <nomore@email.com>stated in post OdVpg.25346$x.128368@weber.videotron.net on 7/2/06 12:35 PM:

NRen2k5
Snit wrote:

Snit
The ad in question: <http://snipurl.com/viruswhatvirus>Quote in question (slowed down): <http://snipurl.com/Slow_Quote>"no no do not be a hero, ***LAST YEAR*** there are 114,000 known viruses for PCs." [emphasis mine, poor grammar Apple's]

1) Wally dishonestly "quoted" the Apple commercial (while blaming others for doing so). He dishonestly denied it state "last year" and "quoted" it as: "no no do not be a hero, actually there are 114,000 known viruses for PC's.........". In his doing so, he used poor grammar (note the "PC's"). This is relevant based on #2:

NRen2k5
"PC's" (as opposed to "PCs") *is* the proper way to write it, actually.

Snit
Did you see my reply elsewhere? From it:

Do you have any support for your view? Here is support for mine:

<http://tranchant.plus.com/notes/apostrophe> ----- Never use an apostrophe to form a plural. As the Quick Guide suggests, it is common opinion that words ending in vowels take an apostrophe when plural. This is wrong. ... Neither is it correct to use an apostrophe with plural abbreviations, which do not even use full-stops (periods) between letters these days. CDs, ICBMs, PCs, VCRs etc. -----

http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/ ----- Apostrophes are NEVER ever used to denote plurals! Common examples of such abuse (all seen in real life!) are: Banana's for sale which of course should read Bananas for sale Menu's printed to order which should read Menus printed to order etc. -----

http://www.articlealley.com/article_7703_50.html ----- That's the rule. If it's a noun, s makes it plural and apostrophe-s makes it possessive. It's just that simple. -----

Either way, though, the whole grammar issue is a side issue Wally spewed in an effort to obfuscate the fact he dishonestly claimed the Apple ad did *not* use the phrase "last year". Even after I provided the slowed down version Wally still sticks to his lie.

NRen2k5
You're right. I was incorrectly "taught" in college that the correct way to pluralize initialisms is with "'s" rather than just "s". It turns out that I was taught wrong.

I did find out just now, though, that apparently "'s" *is* appropriate for initialisms with internal punctuation, for example "Ph.D.'s".

Snit
Fair enough. Do you have a reference for the example you give?

NRen2k5
I can't find the one I read last night, but here's another: http://tinyurl.com/qq5t

Snit
Fair enough... though it is a style guide intended for one company (and those that work with them). There are times that a group may decide it is OK to break the "rules".

NRen2k5
The more I search the web, the more it seems that there's just no single consensus on pluralizing initialisms. :|

For example, you said that the "CDs", for example, is proper and that "CD's" is a modern trend, but Wikipedia tells me it's exactly the opposite.

Snit
Again, fair enough. It is a nit-picky enough point that I certainly would never have brought it up