Wont!

[OllieMartin]

You are getting another rebuke - you've misspelt the ads! In Yorkshire we have "waint" for will not. Just thought I'd put that in as an aside.

It's sods law that when you're talking about spelling, punctuation and grammar; you're infinitely more likely to make a mistake than at any other time!

[HotStuff]

English must be such a hard language to learn. Not only do we have lazy apostrophes but also words that sound the same with different spellings. i.e coughing, coffin. brough, brow or is it brough bruff?

And then of course there is the example popularly attributed to George Bernard Shaw that "ghoti" can be pronounced "fish"

[Bigmallly]

Brilliant Hotstuff.....I had to google it first.

AUE: FAQ excerpt: What is "ghoti"?

[OllieMartin]

And then of course there is the example popularly attributed to George Bernard Shaw that "ghoti" can be pronounced "fish"

For more info':
Ghoti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Glutton4...]

One of my biggest gripes, if I'm being petty, is invites instead of invitations - drives me potty

The is another, but I cannot remember it at the moment ...

[OllieMartin]

One of my biggest gripes, if I'm being petty, is Invites instead of invitations - drives me potty

Same. "Invite" is a verb, "invitation" is a noun.

[HayleyB]

Positioning of commas and apostrophes is a bit of bugbear for me when I'm proofreading someone's work, but my own problem is reading my own work

[Tomatoking]

I used to 'pull my hair out' when my 11 year old Son (at the time) used to bring is English homework home....when he was at Primary (here in France), I used to go through his work and check it for him, I was appalled at the use of......won't, isn't, I'm, I'll....the list is endless....this is obviously how they are teaching the French children to speak and learn English!! I used to go over it with a 'red pen' ...although to be honest, I think my son was too embarrassed to show his teacher, as I never had any response! Needless to say that my Son's written English after 10 years here is not as good as his French! Saying that, I know that today's English is more often than not abbreviated in speech, but surely to learn the correct way first is more important especially at school.
Mr TK is at the moment writing a book, which I am editing for him! I go through it trying to correct the English with my ex-secretarial 'hat' on which annoys him no end, but as he says it should be written as 'spoken' in some parts of the dialogue. However, his use of commas, full stops and exclamation marks leaves a lot to be desired!
Mrs TK

[Alison]

Using won't in speak or informal communication such as this is fine but I'd neve use it in a formal letter. Was taught to always write out in full in such circumstances.

Also, isn't the shortened version of would not wouldn't not won't, totally different tense surely?

[Bigmallly]

Positioning of commas and apostrophes is a bit of bugbear for me when I'm proofreading someone's work

Should that not be someones' work?.................

Also, isn't the shortened version of would not wouldn't not won't, totally different tense surely?

I think Ollie has covered this one, wouldn't = would not & won't = will not.

[moola]

Alison - I was taught much along the same lines. Abbreviations are a strict no-no in any written communication - however, I have started using them on t'internet
Wordy buffs - anyone read eat, shoots and leaves? if you haven't then maybe a little note to the big man in the red suit is in order...

[HotStuff]

Should that not be someones' work?.................

Sorry to disagree Mal, but someone's is right as it is indicating possession, i.e. belonging to someone. Unless of course you can pluralise (?) someone to be a number of someones

[Bigmallly]

Sorry to disagree Mal, but someone's is right as it is indicating possession, i.e. belonging to someone. Unless of course you can pluralise (?) someone to be a number of someones

OLLIE!!!!!......clear this up .............sorry to have to do this to you Hotstuff..........

[zazen999]

Sorry to disagree Mal, but someone's is right as it is indicating possession, i.e. belonging to someone. Unless of course you can pluralise (?) someone to be a number of someones

If there is a range of people doing the work; then it would be someones'

If there is only one person doing the work; then it would be someone's

I'd say, as there would only be one person doing the work at any one time; then it is someone's.

[plus, there is no such word as someoneses - which is how it would be said].

Which takes us back to the original query, in that won't may well be will not abbreviated; but as you can't actually say willn't; it gets changed to won't so that you can actually say it.

[Bigmallly]

If there is a range of people doing the work; then it would be someones'

If there is only one person doing the work; then it would be someone's

I'd say, as there would only be one person doing the work at any one time; then it is someone's.

[plus, there is no such word as someoneses - which is how it would be said].

Which takes us back to the original query, in that won't may well be will not abbreviated; but as you can't actually say willn't; it gets changed to won't so that you can actually say it.

I was always lead to believe that if an apostrophe was in the middle of 2 letters then it indicated a missing letter(s). If it was after a word then it meant belonging to............if that makes sense.