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Pedants' corner

Help - is it audience's or audiences'???

17 replies

Monkeytrousers · 01/04/2008 21:43

The sentance is:

"It is an attempt to create a popular icon that transforms audiences expectations...

Come on you Hogwarts lovelies!

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Maidamess · 01/04/2008 21:44

apostrophe BEFORE the 's'...I think.

jajas · 01/04/2008 21:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tommy · 01/04/2008 21:45

no - it's more than one audience isn't it? Then the apostrophe would be after the s

Iota · 01/04/2008 21:45

I agree with Maidamess

yama · 01/04/2008 21:46

after the s.

MsDrMonkeybird · 01/04/2008 21:46

It depends I think (and, ahem, it's sentence btw...) on whether audience is an audience or some audiences. If the former, the correct way would be the audience's but I suspect it is intended to be generic plural audiences so think correct apostrophizing should be audiences'

?

Iota · 01/04/2008 21:47

oops I misread it as singular as in "the audience's expectations"

blueskysquirter · 01/04/2008 21:47

transforms audiences' expectations
tranforms the audience's expectations
transforms the expectations of the audience

Maidamess · 01/04/2008 21:48

Actually, if it said THE audiences I think the apos. would go before the s.

As it just says 'audiences', i've changed my mind and its after the s.

I think Tommy is right.

mascarpone · 01/04/2008 21:49

If there is only one audience it should be audience's but if more than one, audiences'.

so
it is an attempt to create a popular icon that transforms the audience's expectations...

or

it is an attempt to create a popular icon that transforms audiences' expectations...

Monkeytrousers · 01/04/2008 21:52

The audience is an abstract 'some' audience - part of a proposal. I have already put the apostopy after the s as it is not the ..but the audience are in the plural..help! If I had sat my english o level would that have helped??

It's for Channel four - does it matter?

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Monkeytrousers · 01/04/2008 21:54

aha! Macapone thanks (and all of you that helped so quick)

I was right - but like Harry Potter, had no idea why I was right!

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LarryVeestAdamAntSpawnChorus · 01/04/2008 21:55

If you need to check apostrophe placement, you turn the sentence around. e.g. if you're talking about a boy who has a dog, you say 'the dog of the boy'. You then put 's at the end of boy, and flip the sentence round to 'the boy's dog'.

If you're talking about lots of boys who have a dog, you say 'the dog of the boys'. You then put an apostrophe after boys and flip it back round to 'the boys' dog'.

"(it) transforms audiences expectations'

"(it) transforms the expectations of the audiences"

"(it) transforms audiences' expectations".

Clear as mud? Goood.

IorekByrnison · 01/04/2008 21:56

In that case I would just say audience expectations.

LarryVeestAdamAntSpawnChorus · 01/04/2008 22:06

agree with Iorek - much snappier.

Monkeytrousers · 01/04/2008 22:38

My brain is stretched to the limit here. I am going to give this some serious attention tomorrow. Thank you - I am a bit Herminone when it comes to learing somethinmg new

i.e. a geek and proud

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Monkeytrousers · 01/04/2008 22:42

Larry, I did learn a bit about saxon genitive when I lived in Italy for a bit. It has helped me with my english but not italian

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