Wont!

[Bigmallly]

M'lud and most honourable esteemed colleagues, may I refer you to:

How to use Apostrophes - guidance notes

Please accept my most humble appologies....I stand corrected.

[Rocketron]

People's would be if the thing could only belong to one person [at any time]
Peoples' would be if the thing could belong to more than one person at a time, which as it was a magazine - it could.

I disagree, I'm afraid. The word "People" is a singular noun naming a number of individuals. As a singular noun, the apostrophe can only be placed between the "e" and the "s" People's.

Off topic, how many times can one use the word"and" consecutively in a sentence, with said sentence making absolute sense ?

[zazen999]

Off topic, how many times can one use the word"and" consecutively in a sentence, with said sentence making absolute sense ?

7 innit?

[Bigmallly]

A typesetter was setting type for an advertisement for an inn called The Horse And Cart. His client was proofing the ad. and said;

There is too much spacing between Horse and And, and And and Cart..............5.............

[Jeanied]

. The word "People" is a singular noun naming a number of individuals. As a singular noun, the apostrophe can only be placed between the "e" and the "s" People's.

Thanks Rocketron - I think you nailed it - that's what I was trying to say earlier and got tied up in my own verbiage. So it is the people's friend after all?

[Florence Fennel]

I'm quite bamboozled here Florence Fennel.
In one post you say you change wont to will not
in the next post you say the word is being used in the sense of habit or custom - as a noun or a verb. If the word is being used in that sense then there is no apostrophe in it, and what sense is there in the sentence if it is changed to will not .
I think maybe Consultants should look at the letters being sent out in their name to see what is going on.

Sorry you're feeling bamboozled Alice, that wasn't my intention, I thought someone might have a simple explanation. In the correspondence the dictation relates to "will not", hence won't (so I've gathered). When I looked for a definition I found that the word "wont" means habit or custom. I'm still really confused.com, so giving up! I'm still not going to put in in the letters.

[smallblueplanet]

You need to look in a better dictionary!

won’t (_____),
colloq. contraction of woll not = will not (see will v.1 A. 6 b). Also (cf. don’t, shan’t) as n. = refusal.

won't & wont are two different words...

[Florence Fennel]

I also need to get me coat ........

[Jeanied]

You are absolutely right on this one FF - carry on changing 'won't' for 'will not' in the written form because that is what it is in its written form!

I suggest adding the word 'wont' as in custom is a red herring - the English language is full of homophones which is why the language is so hard to learn - and spell- in the first place. It stems from having so many words in the language - it has a much bigger lexicon than most other languages, largely due to the fact that we have blended in words from many other languages to form modern English. Other European languages have many fewer words and much simpler rules of grammar with a higher degree of uniformity. Great, ain't it? You can express shades of meaning in English that you can't in other languages.

[Florence Fennel]

You are absolutely right on this one FF - carry on changing 'won't' for 'will not' in the written form because that is what it is in its written form!

I suggest adding the word 'wont' as in custom is a red herring - the English language is full of homophones which is why the language is so hard to learn - and spell- in the first place. It stems from having so many words in the language - it has a much bigger lexicon than most other languages, largely due to the fact that we have blended in words from many other languages to form modern English. Other European languages have much fewer words and much simpler rules of grammar with a higher degree of uniformity. Great, ain't it? You can express shades of meaning in English that you can't in other languages.

Came back for my hat Jeanied and so glad I did, thanks for this!

[smallblueplanet]

What the OED isn't a good enough source for you? The context should give the meaning of the word away!

There is nothing wrong with writing won't as a contraction of will not - they're dictating after all...

[Alice]

Well thanks for the explanation Florence Fennel.
If you're convinced the meaning is will not then type
will not or
won't.
In the written word I would use will not - as you do.

[HotStuff]

You are absolutely right on this one FF - carry on changing 'won't' for 'will not' in the written form because that is what it is in its written form!

Don't you mean "it's written form" ?

[OllieMartin]

I take umbridge to being called archaic!

"umbridge", now there's a word I haven't heard in a while

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

As much as I hate to take sides, my response is:

Read all of zazen's posts.
Not just because she has a degree in English, but also because she's right in every instance IMHO.

[RedThorn]

lol choice of word was deliberate, but also a word I do still use along with the word in question!