Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Grammar Check anyone please?

182 replies

Overseasmom100 · 21/01/2021 21:17

is it

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

Thank you

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
PastramiNoRye · 21/01/2021 21:58

@DahliaMacNamara

I think the of is a good compromise. But it's years'. I am not used to being contradicted in these matters.
That's because you're not wrong!
Mamette · 21/01/2021 22:00

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

Yes Confused

What would you write?
“Over one year teaching experience”?

Or “Over one years teaching experience” - if you think it’s this then how do you explain the “plural”?

It’s 17 years’ because it’s
a) plural
b) possessive. The experience “belongs to” the years.

Mamette · 21/01/2021 22:01

Agh, bold fail.

Evvyjb · 21/01/2021 22:03

Years'

Source: English teacher with over ten years' experience (the experience belonging to 10 years - apostrophe at the end).

Hatbatthat · 21/01/2021 22:06

I can’t believe we’ve got to three pages and no one has said:
More than
More than
more than 17 years’ experience!!!

LizFlowers · 21/01/2021 22:13

No 2: 17 years' experience

(If you had only one year of experience, it would be year's.)

JONSAR · 21/01/2021 22:20

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.

BabcockPeggy · 21/01/2021 22:22

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
Oh dear.
Mamette · 21/01/2021 22:24

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
🤦‍♀️
Ch3rish · 21/01/2021 22:26

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
Hmmmm!
PastramiNoRye · 21/01/2021 22:26

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
Oh FFS.
Clymene · 21/01/2021 22:27

It's a possession. This is why I don't trust grammar teaching at school (I'm an editor and proof reader)

daisypond · 21/01/2021 22:28

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
It is not!
AccidentallyOnPurpose · 21/01/2021 22:33

Ok, I'm very very wrong according to Google. I still don't fully understand it though. Might be English as a second language thing as to why in some phrases it makes sense to me (a day's work, in 3 years' time etc) and not in this one. Either that or lack of exposure to the correct form.

livingonaprairie · 21/01/2021 22:34

@JONSAR

Teacher of English here. Definitely number 1. A straight forward plural.
Sorry English teacher, you're wrong
AmIReallyThough · 21/01/2021 22:36

🙈

I teach MFL and we often despair in our team at the grammar in the English department’s emails.

TheOneLeggedJockey · 21/01/2021 22:37

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

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.

Yes. Yes, you absolutely would put ‘over one year’s teaching experience’. Confused

Two Weeks’ Notice.

Does nobody forget the furore over that movie title?

TheOneLeggedJockey · 21/01/2021 22:38

Oh God, that should say, ‘does nobody remember....’!? 🤪

daisypond · 21/01/2021 22:39

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

Ok, I'm very very wrong according to Google. I still don't fully understand it though. Might be English as a second language thing as to why in some phrases it makes sense to me (a day's work, in 3 years' time etc) and not in this one. Either that or lack of exposure to the correct form.
Easiest way to think of it is to make it singular - one year’s teaching experience - then you can see the grammar more clearly, and then you just follow the normal rule for the plural possessive - 17 years’ teaching experience.
AliBingo · 21/01/2021 22:40

Definitely the second one!

LaChatte · 21/01/2021 22:54

Year's.

I teach English as a foreign language.

LaChatte · 21/01/2021 22:55

Years' even ffs. Sorry.

daisypond · 21/01/2021 22:56

@LaChatte

Year's.

I teach English as a foreign language.

Clearly incorrectly.
daisypond · 21/01/2021 22:57

Ah, sorry! @LaChatte

Karwomannghia · 21/01/2021 23:13

‘I have over a year’s teaching experience’
clearly illustrates it’s years’ for the plural version.