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cover of episode Why some holidays have apostrophes. Why Californians say ‘the 405.’ MIGD

Why some holidays have apostrophes. Why Californians say ‘the 405.’ MIGD

2025/2/11
logo of podcast Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
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M
Mignon Fogarty
P
Philip Kress
W
Wendell Albright
Topics
Mignon Fogarty: 大家好,我是 Grammar Girl。今天我们将讨论 President's Day 中撇号的用法,以及其他节日名称中撇号的使用规则。节日名称的标点取决于我们如何看待这个节日的庆祝方式。例如,Mother's Day 使用单数所有格撇号,因为它属于每个独立的母亲。而 Veterans Day 不使用撇号,因为它代表纪念所有退伍军人的日子。节日名称的演变是一个自然的过程,就像一个跨世代的传话游戏,我们日常使用的语言塑造了这些节日名称。作为 Grammar Girl,我认为理解这些细微的语法规则可以帮助我们更准确地表达自己的意思。 Philip Kress: 我一直对节日名称中撇号的用法感到困惑。为什么有些节日有撇号,而另一些没有?例如,Mother's Day、Father's Day、Veterans Day、President's Day。谁决定这个节日是属于一个人还是为了纪念许多人?对于 President's Day,我们应该完全不使用撇号吗?或者应该使用 President's apostrophe S,表示它属于一位总统?或者应该使用 presidents apostrophe,表示它属于所有总统?这确实让我感到非常困惑,希望 Grammar Girl 能够解答我的疑问。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the confusing punctuation rules of holidays, explaining the use of apostrophes in holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, President's Day, and Veterans Day. It clarifies that the apostrophe's position depends on whether the day honors an individual or a group, and that the rules are often a matter of style and have evolved organically over time.
  • Apostrophe usage in holidays depends on whether the day honors one person or many.
  • The rules are often a matter of style, with variations across style guides.
  • Holiday names evolve organically over time, reflecting how people actually celebrate them.

Shownotes Transcript

  1. Ever wonder why some holidays have apostrophes while others don’t? We look at Mother’s Day, Veterans Day, and Presidents’ Day. Then, we look at why Southern Californians say "the 405" while the rest of the country skips "the" in front of freeway names.

 

The "apostrophe" segment is by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips editor and digital pioneer who's been spinning words into gold since before cat videos ruled the internet. She created one of the first online writing workshops, and she's published thousands of articles on the art of writing. These days, she leads personal narrative writing retreats and helps writers find their voice. Visit her at ChanterelleStoryStudio.com).

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