Mumsnet Talk

How can they be bothered to put a stop to indicate abbreviation in St. and yet forget to put an apostrophe in George's IN THEIR LETTERHEAD?!

Also, they should be seeing me in nine months' time, not "nine months time", and as for "if I should not of heard four weeks before" the appointment's due...

Is it overly pedantic to send their form letter back with basic corrections, or should I just be grateful my smear tests came back normal?

Yes to the George's, you're right. No to the months. The time doesn't belong to the months IYSWIM?

The trust has an apostrophe all over its website. That said, I'd always rather my healthcare professionals learn medicine rather than grammar.

But it would be even beter if they could manage both.

I have to disagree with Lotster: the OP is correct, it is 'nine months' time.

There seems to be a general trend away from apostrophes in place names, e.g. St Lukes church. But in the OP's example, St Georges without the apostrophe sounds like more than one George, because of Georges, two syllables, maybe. It's wrong!

Actually, regarding the stop behind St., I was taught that if the shortened word still has its last letter you don't need the full stop, so St is fine.

As an example, take number & numbers - no. has a full stop but nos doesn't!

Piccolina, I think that means you agree with me then? " nine months time" is what I thought it should say, but OP thought " nine months' time "

Allfall I know, I know... but when I see mistakes like that, it does make me wonder if they've accidentally left out a word or two - like 'not', or 'do', or something.

Piccolina That was what I thought was weird: that they could be bothered to over-punctuate St, but 'simplify' the apostrophe, which they they replaced later on in the body of the letter anyway. Maybe they should stick with St Georges - makes it sound like some chic hospital in a Parisian suburb. (steps into French grammar quagmire, without waterwings)

Will remember the no/nos thing - today's useful MN lesson!

(I still think it's nine months' time, btw.)

Lotster, no I disagree! The OP is right with "in nine months' time". (It's getting a bit confusing, isn't it?). There has been another pedants thread recently about apostrophes, explained the reasoning behind this, it was something to do with leaving something out IIRC (not much help ):

The baby will be born in nine months.
The baby will be born in nine months' time.

Both correct, and you have to put in the apostrophe.

Two weeks' holiday, going on holiday for two weeks, etc.

The worst thing with this isn't the apostrophes or lack thereof, but the "if I should not of heard four weeks before" - it drives me mad when people use 'of' instead of 'have'. It's just wrong!

send the letter back with amendments.give staff a laugh

you must be relieved about smear results.weight off your mind

Sorry Piccolina, thought with the apostrophe you put beginning and end (the OP is correct, it is 'nine months' time) you weren't putting one IYSWIM!

Anyhoo, I'm off there for an MRI this weekend so I hope they can do that right!

scottishmummy What's the NHS equivalent of waiters gobbing on your burger?! An ice-cold speculum? Hmm...

No, you never know if a waiter has gobbed on your burger. Apparently an ice-cold speculum is discovered quite quickly .