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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2012 10:32:08 GMT
Is it correct to use the apostrophe in this way: person with care needs' signature
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Post by Dave on Mar 18, 2012 11:21:09 GMT
Assuming that you're writing about the signature of a person who has care needs, yes but awkward. Consider rephrasing, although it appears that brevity may be one of your concerns.
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Post by Pete on Mar 18, 2012 11:21:24 GMT
Technically, as the possessive form of the compound noun person with care needs, it should be person with care needs's. Either way, it's rather clumsy and I would be tempted to recast it.
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Post by hubertus on Mar 18, 2012 13:00:51 GMT
The construction sounds clumsy because sometimes the possessive is much better rendered by the use of 'of'.
Many explanations of obscure uses of the apostrophe are concerned with such artificial sentences.
Alternatively: many apostrophes' explanations of obscure use are concerned with such artificial sentences.
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Post by Twoddle on Mar 18, 2012 19:35:17 GMT
If the sentence has to be used as it is, without fundamental rewording, I'd at least hyphenate "care-needs", to clarify the point that "needs" is part of a compound noun and not a verb.
"... person with care-needs's signature ..." looks awful. Couldn't "... signature of the person with care-needs ... " be used instead?
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Post by Tone on Mar 18, 2012 20:23:31 GMT
>I'd at least hyphenate "care-needs", to clarify the point that "needs" is part of a compound noun and not a verb.<
Hurrah! Excelsior!
Tone
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Post by Verbivore on Mar 18, 2012 20:44:17 GMT
Is it correct to use the apostrophe in this way: person with care needs' signature Technically not incorrect, just plain ugly -- and bound to make the reader read it twice, which is a sure sign of poor expression. Recast!
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