* Language question
@ 2008-12-10 15:18 Carsten Dominik
2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen
` (3 more replies)
0 siblings, 4 replies; 9+ messages in thread
From: Carsten Dominik @ 2008-12-10 15:18 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: emacs org-mode mailing list
Hi,
this is a question to the native English speakers out there.
If I write in the documentation
"Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document"
do I then write
ids
IDs
id's
or ID's
????
Thanks.
- Carsten
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread* Re: Language question 2008-12-10 15:18 Language question Carsten Dominik @ 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen 2008-12-10 16:14 ` Ian Barton 2008-12-10 16:18 ` OT: " Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 15:42 ` Matthew Lundin ` (2 subsequent siblings) 3 siblings, 2 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Bernt Hansen @ 2008-12-10 15:36 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Carsten Dominik; +Cc: emacs org-mode mailing list Carsten Dominik <carsten.dominik@gmail.com> writes: > this is a question to the native English speakers out there. > > If I write in the documentation > > "Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document" > > do I then write > > ids > IDs > id's > or ID's > IDs or ids is fine. id's and ID's is possessive (the ID owns something). I'd probably use IDs in this case. id is just short for identifier normally so ... unique identifiers is hard ... would also be fine. HTH, Bernt ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: Re: Language question 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen @ 2008-12-10 16:14 ` Ian Barton 2008-12-10 16:18 ` OT: " Carsten Dominik 1 sibling, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Ian Barton @ 2008-12-10 16:14 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Bernt Hansen; +Cc: emacs org-mode mailing list, Carsten Dominik >> If I write in the documentation >> >> "Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document" >> >> do I then write >> >> ids >> IDs >> id's >> or ID's >> > > IDs or ids is fine. id's and ID's is possessive (the ID owns > something). > > I'd probably use IDs in this case. > > id is just short for identifier normally so > ... unique identifiers is hard ... > would also be fine. > I would suggest calling it a UID. As Bernt said using an apostrophe is incorrect in this case. I would also suggest doing it like this: "Cross referencing with unique IDs (UID) is hard to document" I was always taught that you place the abbreviation in brackets after its definition, so the reader can easily find where it's defined. Ian. ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* OT: Re: Re: Language question 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen 2008-12-10 16:14 ` Ian Barton @ 2008-12-10 16:18 ` Carsten Dominik 1 sibling, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Carsten Dominik @ 2008-12-10 16:18 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Bernt Hansen; +Cc: emacs org-mode mailing list Hi Bernt, thanks for the quick answer. It is amazing how different these things are in different languages. My life is in 3 languages, English, German, and Dutch, almost evenly spread between the three. In German, you put the ' only if you are actually omitting a letter, like in the English "let's". If it is possessive, you actually explicitly don't put it. For English you explained it. In Dutch, it is a pure pronunciation issue (if I did understand this correctly). There you only put the ' if the connected "s" would spoil the correct pronunciation of the word. May be Esperanto was not such a bad idea after all........ Many greetings from Babylon. - Carsten On Dec 10, 2008, at 4:36 PM, Bernt Hansen wrote: > Carsten Dominik <carsten.dominik@gmail.com> writes: > >> this is a question to the native English speakers out there. >> >> If I write in the documentation >> >> "Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document" >> >> do I then write >> >> ids >> IDs >> id's >> or ID's >> > > IDs or ids is fine. id's and ID's is possessive (the ID owns > something). > > I'd probably use IDs in this case. > > id is just short for identifier normally so > ... unique identifiers is hard ... > would also be fine. > > HTH, > Bernt > > > _______________________________________________ > Emacs-orgmode mailing list > Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list. > Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: Language question 2008-12-10 15:18 Language question Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen @ 2008-12-10 15:42 ` Matthew Lundin 2008-12-10 16:13 ` Womick, Don 2008-12-10 17:03 ` Samuel Wales 3 siblings, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Matthew Lundin @ 2008-12-10 15:42 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Carsten Dominik; +Cc: emacs org-mode mailing list Hi Carsten, "IDs" is correct. Some older manuals of style suggest using "ID's", but "IDs" is the most widely accepted plural form of the abbreviation. Matt Carsten Dominik <carsten.dominik@gmail.com> writes: > Hi, > > this is a question to the native English speakers out there. > > If I write in the documentation > > "Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document" > > do I then write > > ids > IDs > id's > or ID's > > ???? > > Thanks. > > - Carsten > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Emacs-orgmode mailing list > Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list. > Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* RE: Language question 2008-12-10 15:18 Language question Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen 2008-12-10 15:42 ` Matthew Lundin @ 2008-12-10 16:13 ` Womick, Don 2008-12-10 17:05 ` Peter Frings 2008-12-10 17:03 ` Samuel Wales 3 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread From: Womick, Don @ 2008-12-10 16:13 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Carsten Dominik, emacs org-mode mailing list 's always indicates possession, never plurality. I don't think there's a hard-and-fast choice between "IDs" and "ids", but "IDs" looks better to me, since it's clear that you're using an abbreviation. But if you write "id" (singular), be consistent and write "ids" (plural). -----Original Message----- From: emacs-orgmode-bounces+don.womick=cingular.com@gnu.org [mailto:emacs-orgmode-bounces+don.womick=cingular.com@gnu.org] On Behalf Of Carsten Dominik Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 10:18 AM To: emacs org-mode mailing list Subject: [Orgmode] Language question Hi, this is a question to the native English speakers out there. If I write in the documentation "Cross referencing with unique IDs is hard to document" do I then write ids IDs id's or ID's ???? Thanks. - Carsten _______________________________________________ Emacs-orgmode mailing list Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list. Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: Language question 2008-12-10 16:13 ` Womick, Don @ 2008-12-10 17:05 ` Peter Frings 2008-12-10 17:25 ` Carsten Dominik 0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread From: Peter Frings @ 2008-12-10 17:05 UTC (permalink / raw) To: emacs-orgmode Org-Mode On 10 Dec 2008, at 17:13, Womick, Don wrote: > 's always indicates possession, never plurality. > > I don't think there's a hard-and-fast choice between "IDs" and "ids", > but "IDs" looks better to me, since it's clear that you're using an > abbreviation. But if you write "id" (singular), be consistent and > write > "ids" (plural). I'm not a native English speaker, but since the Chicago Manual of Style is within reach... About the plural: <quote> * Letters, nouns coinages, numbers: So far as it can be done without confusion, single or multiple letters used as words, hyphenated coinages used as nouns, and numbers (wether spelled out or in figures) firm the plural by adding s alone: the three Rs YMCAs ... * Abbreviations with periods, lowercase letters used as nouns, and capital letters that would be confusing if /s/ alone were added form the plural with an apostrohpe and an s: Ph.D's x's and y's SOS's ... </quote> About the capitalization: I can't find it right now (might have read it somewhere else), but I think the rule is rather simple: Acronyms should be written in uppercase when they are spelled out in speech, e.g. ID (Ey-Dee). When they're being used as words, they're written in lowercase, e.g., 'radar'. Combining the two, I think it's "IDs". Cheers, Peter. ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: Language question 2008-12-10 17:05 ` Peter Frings @ 2008-12-10 17:25 ` Carsten Dominik 0 siblings, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Carsten Dominik @ 2008-12-10 17:25 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Peter Frings; +Cc: emacs-orgmode Org-Mode Wow, I am blown away by the flood of answers with various degrees of explanations. Thank you all very much. - Carsten On Dec 10, 2008, at 6:05 PM, Peter Frings wrote: > > On 10 Dec 2008, at 17:13, Womick, Don wrote: > >> 's always indicates possession, never plurality. >> >> I don't think there's a hard-and-fast choice between "IDs" and "ids", >> but "IDs" looks better to me, since it's clear that you're using an >> abbreviation. But if you write "id" (singular), be consistent and >> write >> "ids" (plural). > > I'm not a native English speaker, but since the Chicago Manual of > Style is within reach... > > About the plural: > <quote> > * Letters, nouns coinages, numbers: So far as it can be done without > confusion, single or multiple letters used as words, hyphenated > coinages used as nouns, and numbers (wether spelled out or in > figures) firm the plural by adding s alone: > > the three Rs > YMCAs > ... > > * Abbreviations with periods, lowercase letters used as nouns, and > capital letters that would be confusing if /s/ alone were added form > the plural with an apostrohpe and an s: > > Ph.D's > x's and y's > SOS's > ... > </quote> > > About the capitalization: > I can't find it right now (might have read it somewhere else), but I > think the rule is rather simple: > > Acronyms should be written in uppercase when they are spelled out in > speech, e.g. ID (Ey-Dee). When they're being used as words, they're > written in lowercase, e.g., 'radar'. > > > Combining the two, I think it's "IDs". > > Cheers, > Peter. > > > _______________________________________________ > Emacs-orgmode mailing list > Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list. > Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: Language question 2008-12-10 15:18 Language question Carsten Dominik ` (2 preceding siblings ...) 2008-12-10 16:13 ` Womick, Don @ 2008-12-10 17:03 ` Samuel Wales 3 siblings, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread From: Samuel Wales @ 2008-12-10 17:03 UTC (permalink / raw) To: Carsten Dominik; +Cc: emacs org-mode mailing list Hi Carsten, If you write "IDs", it is correct. Please do not be misled by my having written "org-id's". "ID's" used to be correct, but no longer. I was treating org-id as a variable, and org-ids would have been confusing. I often type in lowercase and then capitalize sentences before sending. The apostrophe was a fast way of disambiguating. ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
end of thread, other threads:[~2008-12-10 17:26 UTC | newest] Thread overview: 9+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed) -- links below jump to the message on this page -- 2008-12-10 15:18 Language question Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 15:36 ` Bernt Hansen 2008-12-10 16:14 ` Ian Barton 2008-12-10 16:18 ` OT: " Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 15:42 ` Matthew Lundin 2008-12-10 16:13 ` Womick, Don 2008-12-10 17:05 ` Peter Frings 2008-12-10 17:25 ` Carsten Dominik 2008-12-10 17:03 ` Samuel Wales
Code repositories for project(s) associated with this public inbox https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox; as well as URLs for read-only IMAP folder(s) and NNTP newsgroup(s).