Grammar quiz!

[Goldstone1976]

C'mon then, if you think you're hard enough...

http://play.bbc.co.uk/play/pen/gwcv37b8rq

Title should really be "Apostrophe quiz", but I cba to change it.

 

[AmexRuislip]

6/10

 

[The Rivet]

Ohhh I feel slightly sick after doing that!

 

[rocker959]

6 ffs

 

[DumLum]

8/10

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

10/10.

 

[GT49er]

9/10 - but the BBC have got it wrong, or inconsistent at least. Questions 2 and 6 should have the same answer.
If Jesus' is correct for something belonging to Jesus, then Harris' is correct for something belonging to Harris (although due to common usage, Jesus's and Harris's may well become the 'proper' answers in a few years). BBC claim Jesus' is right, but Harris' is wrong - can't have it both ways!

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

9/10 - but the BBC have got it wrong, or inconsistent at least. Questions 2 and 6 should have the same answer.
If Jesus' is correct for something belonging to Jesus, then Harris' is correct for something belonging to Harris (although due to common usage, Jesus's and Harris's may well become the 'proper' answers in a few years). BBC claim Jesus' is right, but Harris' is wrong - can't have it both ways!

I did wonder that and guessed correctly based on the logic the answers would be different. I agree with your logic.

 

[Goldstone1976]

9/10 - but the BBC have got it wrong, or inconsistent at least. Questions 2 and 6 should have the same answer.
If Jesus' is correct for something belonging to Jesus, then Harris' is correct for something belonging to Harris (although due to common usage, Jesus's and Harris's may well become the 'proper' answers in a few years). BBC claim Jesus' is right, but Harris' is wrong - can't have it both ways!

It's arcane, but technically they're right. Jesus is a biblical name; Harris is not. Possessives of biblical names ending in s should technically be s'; those of non-biblical names s's. I know...

 

[GT49er]

It's arcane, but technically they're right. Jesus is a biblical name; Harris is not. Possessives of biblical names ending in s should technically be s'; those of non-biblical names s's. I know...

In 60 odd years I have never heard about that differential between biblical proper nouns and other proper nouns before - so I went to the bible for these things, Fowler's Use of English.
It appears that the s' form was the correct way for all (singular) proper nouns ending in s (and that's what I'd have been taught at school from an early age right up to my English Language GCE, many years ago) but that in recent years the s's format has come to be the accepted correct format, with the exception of biblical and poetic examples.
So, change is taking/has taken place - and I now confidently expect that what I said earlier, that in a few years s's will be the proper format in all cases, will come to pass sooner rather than later.

OK, I'll count my 9/10 as 9.5/10 !

 

[bassking]

 

[GT49er]

View attachment 85260

Maybe, but I wouldn't boast about it on here if I were you!

 

[Albion my Albion]

10/10.

Ditto



Your Result
10/10
Fantastic! You are a total grammar demon! Feel free to spread your pedantry far and wide. Listen to The 'Apostrophiser', a fascinating documentary about one man’s secret battle against sloppy punctuation on Bristol's shop signs.

Answer 1 ✔

Answer 2 ✔

Answer 3 ✔

Answer 4 ✔

Answer 5 ✔

Answer 6 ✔

Answer 7 ✔

Answer 8 ✔

Answer 9 ✔

Answer 10 ✔

 

[Albion my Albion]

9/10 - but the BBC have got it wrong, or inconsistent at least. Questions 2 and 6 should have the same answer.
If Jesus' is correct for something belonging to Jesus, then Harris' is correct for something belonging to Harris (although due to common usage, Jesus's and Harris's may well become the 'proper' answers in a few years). BBC claim Jesus' is right, but Harris' is wrong - can't have it both ways!

You do realize Jesus and Jesus Morales have special places in British Judeo-Christian society?

 

[SUA Seagull]

10/10. Although it seemed to be counter-intuitive, I made the same 'guess' as CC above re Harris's but hadn't appreciated the difference between biblical proper nouns and other proper nouns until reading the above explanation. Live and learn.

 

[essbee1]

One of the questions: about the cats is non-sensical bollox - 9/10.

 

[bassking]

Maybe, but I wouldn't boast about it on here if I were you!

 

[The Large One]

One of the questions: about the cats is non-sensical bollox - 9/10.

They're all nonsensical bollocks.

This question, however, was fairly easy to get right.

 

[GT49er]

You do realize Jesus and Jesus Morales have special places in British Judeo-Christian society?

No.

 

[GT49er]

View attachment 85261

I suppose posting pictures is a pretty cool way of avoiding using grammar, innit..........