Thanks for your thoughtful comment. It is not clear to me what you are describing as wrong. 2. Because ‘years’ is a possessive form.”. Good questions, Clare. Thank you for your post. Shortened version of a year requires an apostrophe Frank Reust Apr 26, 2012 Apr 26, 2012 ... bringing a World Series championship back to St. Louis for the first time in 15 years. Hi, Gaurav. You must be signed in to continue. If you need someone to proofread the punctuation (and other details) in your writing, please contact my partner, Scribendi. The ticket-taker ridiculed my “Hi” as a stupid American greeting. The fact that you have some books that say to do it a certain way is not a sufficient refutation to their valid points. Again, it is a possessive form. Learn more. It is being asked to do the job of a preposition that shouldn’t have gone missing. Jim, I am sorry you missed this sentence from my post above, along with the many examples that illustrate it: “But why use the apostrophe? Apostrophe definition is - a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case (as in 'John's book'), or the plural of letters or figures (as in 'the 1960's'). In English, it is used for three purposes: The marking of the omission of one or more letters (as in the contraction of do not to don't). It is acceptable to spell out a decade span and to abbreviate a decade span on second reference. One year’s experience. The only time an apostrophe should be used in a year is if it's standing in for omitted numbers. Examples: I petted the Murphys’ cat. Here is a comparison with which you may agree: “This is Mary’s car”–the car of Mary. However, I do suggest finding at least one acknowledged expert who agrees with you, or your argument is likely to be ignored–at least until others come around to your view. “These are my friends’ cars”–the cars of my friends. . Then noun is used as a modifier(adjective) it takes singular form????? Two years’ experience. In Year 3, your child will use some key features of grammar and punctuation in their writing, as well as being able to use all the grammar and punctuation they learnt in Key Stage 1. The opinion of the group is the group's opinion.The reputation of the man is the man's reputation.The rivalry of the teams is the teams' rivalry.The pay of a week is a week's pay.The sabbatical of a year is a year's sabbatical.The experience of five years is five years' experience. Here's an ad from the flip side of the same page: When it comes to New Year's Eve, the possibilities are endless, but there's only one right way to punctuate this holiday. Most style guides agree that beginning a sentence with a numeral is poor style, so years placed at the beginning of a sentence should be written out as words. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Who agrees with your view? LAST WINTER is a typical adverb of time that refers to the past, so you must use past tense, I’m a court reporter, and I’m reading through a transcript and had a question regarding Contractions. The word years is a common plural noun. Now I need help with hyphens… is it “re-sale” or “resale”, “long term” or “long-term”…how should I know the difference? Formation of . 5 years’ experience I have been looking for the correct usage of this for a while now. The sentence needed to be tossed into the "s apostrophe" basket because the correct rendering is "five years' experience.". It is definitely one of my pet peeves – and no one seems to be able to get it right. When a respected expert in the field modernizes a rule, people can choose to follow the change or not. P.S. I wonder what is the correct blogging etiquette? Log In. I visited the Murphys’ store on Main Street. The most common use of apostrophes in English is for contractions, where a noun or pronoun and a verb combine. I remember being scorned at Anne Hathaway’s cottage when I visited in college. It was just ten minutes’ walk from my house to my office. Getting back to your question, “Seven Years’ War” generally takes an apostrophe for the same reason, though it’s sometimes seen without one. NO WAY! The common usage is therefore a contraction; this renders the correct usage to be without an apostrophe. It’s as if the apostrophe+s (for a single year) or apostrophe alone (for multiple years) stands in for the word of: I have one year of experience = I have one year’s experience Living things and time are the only 2 possessives that can use apostrophes. Let me apologise on his behalf! This is a possessive form, and the apostrophe is required. Thanks for your comment, Coral. I have written quite a bit about hyphens on this blog. That said, most of the UK-based Americans who have attended my courses find the English email style much more formal. Writers cannot dictate what is right, as the masses will just ignore the so called ‘old rules’. Thank you so much, you’ve answered my question precisely! “Ten years of experience” is a far better construction. Rule: To show plural possession, make the proper noun plural first, then use the apostrophe. Because years is a possessive form. The examples of correct usage I gave above are all supported by respected, current style guides. The apostrophe is seldom used to form a plural noun. two weeks ago. “A few years” is a plural noun, so “a few years’ time” is correct. Your advice seems wrong to me. It seems to me that “He owes me a week’s pay” and “I have ten years’ experience” are two different constructions, and the correctness of the former isn’t a useful guide when considering the latter. 15 years experience – is correct, because it looks and sounds correct to most people. It requires no apostrophe.Previous is a modifier, an adjective, for years. Using your standard spelling gives readers immediate clues about your nationality. How marvellous to see it laid out clearly with a full explanation. In your opinion is this quoted sentence below referring to two things or three. Singular possessive apostrophe. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Hi, Bob. The job requires five years of experience.In October he will begin a year of sabbatical. Correct: Apostrophes are confusing. There was a time when everyone would ridicule a person for saying the world was round too, so suggesting that someone is wrong simply because others don’t understand or agree is not a compelling argument either. Most examples around tend to not address this type of use. Mind your p ’s and q ’s. This is not a new rule we are discussing. In a few year’s time. “as teacher for a period of over 10 years” is it correct ? Languages are created by people for people, and languages can and do change over time. Hi, Tom. Hi, Andrew. Edit: in your example, "Water has been an attraction for thousands of years" is correct with no apostrophe. Sometimes people disagree with me and the published experts. To make CD plural, use "CDs," not CD's." Later, printers started using them for possessives. Following the current rules of writing helps us communicate clearly with our readers. Yes, “years of experience” works well. If the recipient wants to know why, I’ll try to enlighten them as the others have done here. Two months’ holiday. This lesson includes a video showing the correct use of apostrophes, a test and a learning widget. I do it because they are standards, and I would not succeed professionally if I disregarded them. French students rioted in ’68 [short for ‘1968’]. Interesting point point Tom made as how do the rules change, as a respected person in the field wrote a style sheet ‘modernizing’ the rule would that not be a rule change? Thank you! What about the rule: a 5-year experience, This choice is NOT correct: 5 years experience. Ask Question Asked 8 years ago. 30 year’s experience or 30 years’ experience. Regarding your choice of “14 years experience,” here is why I disagree: “He has a year’s experience”–the experience of a year. Hello, Charlesas. I have a