Grammar Check anyone please?

[Overseasmom100]

is it

over 17 years teaching experience
over 17 years' teaching experience
over 17 year's teaching experience

Thank you

Would have thought 1.

@TAmumto3

I think the first one... not a contraction... not possession. I am a year 6 TA and teach a lot of grammar!

It is possession...the teaching experience belongs/relates to the years..so years' is correct as the first replies said.

over 17 years of teaching experience (no apostrophe)

OR

over 17 years' teaching experience

It's the second one - years'. Plural of year plus a temporal apostrophe.

That's because I read it as missing 'of'.

Second one

It's years'. I'm a linguist and a grammar fascist.

I can see the 2nd one too but wouldn't have used the statement that way. We live and learn.

Definitely years'

It is a possessive because you are actually meaning years of experience.

Technically years' but it's not necessary and years is acceptable. I've just spent a year involved in developing a house style dumbing down the language in reports, website etc into 'plain English'.

@picklemewalnuts

Grammar book says it's 1.

It doesn't. It's one of those examples I distinctly remember from Lynn Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves'

Years’

If I saw ‘years’ without an apostrophe after the ‘s’, it would get my heckles up.

Years’

Put an of in there. Even if you're right the reader might think it's wrong. Better to avoid doubt.

Years'

@TAmumto3

I think the first one... not a contraction... not possession. I am a year 6 TA and teach a lot of grammar!

Except it is a possession.

heckles

Hackles

The grammar book clearly says that it's the second one

Thank goodness the book is correct

Number 2 but I like what you’ve gone for more!

I think the of is a good compromise. But it's years'. I am not used to being contradicted in these matters.

First one.

It's plural so no apostrophe because there's 17 of them.

If you only had one year would you put
Over one year's teaching experience?

Nothing belongs to the years to need the apostrophe and it isn't a contraction either.

(I have) over 17 years (of)teaching experience.

Years. No apostrophe needed. Years is plural

Does it make a difference to the reader?

Will someone get confused or will any of the sentences tell how many years teaching experience the OP has?

Does it make a difference to the reader?

Well, if you're applying for a teaching job and you get it wrong then, yes, it does make a difference to the reader.

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

That is incorrect. It is definitely years’. The experience belongs to the years, just as if it was 17 dogs’ home - the home of 17 dogs. 17 years’ experience- the experience of 17 years.