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Jul 11th 2012 09:05
Hi there, I have a question for a following sentence.

There is no evidence that UFO's came to the earth.

Could you explain to "UFO's"?
Isn't it plural?
Lenkea
Jul 11th 2012 09:09
It should be "UFOs." UFO means "Unidentified Flying Object." Pluralized, that would be "Unidentified Flying Objects." There is no use for the apostrophe.
Jul 11th 2012 09:13 Blue Danny
But there is evidence o; it's out there
Jul 11th 2012 09:34 kensa
Thanks Lenka and Blue Danny.
However my dictionary says "UFO's".
There is a next sentence, too.
Believe in UFO's.
Jul 11th 2012 09:46 mindloss
It is a mistake that most English speakers make, but it's true that you don't need an apostrophe there.
Jul 11th 2012 09:51 kensa
I see, mindloss.
Kelly
Jul 11th 2012 09:14
Yes it is because you can add a (s). U.F.O stands for unidentified Flying Object and if there is more than one sighted it can change to unidentified flying objects.It has also been rumored to have a lot of sightings of the U.F.O's in Mexico, but no one is really sure if they are real of fiction so its a bit skeptical. :D
Jul 11th 2012 09:39 kensa
Thanks Kelly.
What does it mean, "apostrophe s"?
UFO pluses s is a plural, I think.
Jul 11th 2012 10:05 Kelly
No problem, any time! A apostrophe can be used when a word is shorten or when two words are combined like the word (it's) the apostrophe before the (s) is used to combine the words (it) and (is). A apostrophe can also be used to indicate possession for instance.... Its Harry's book -or- Those are the boys' coats. However the Apostrophe after the s' can mean one of two things:
(1)That the noun is plural - "the students' homework" (many students)
(2) That the word already ends in S and it would look weird to write an apostrophe 's there - compare Thomas's car and Thomas' car.
Jul 11th 2012 10:08 Kelly
If you have any questions just let me know and ill be glad to help ^^
Jul 11th 2012 10:30 tony
"Thomas's car" may look weird, but it is the standard, accepted way of forming the possessive form of a singular noun ending in 's'. "Thomas'" is a nonstandard spelling of the possessive, although many people accept it. The ending "s'" occurs when the possessive form of a plural noun is formed.

the class's favorite song = the favorite song of the class
the classes' favorite song = the favorite song of the classes

I don't know anyone who would write "class'" instead of "class's" in the first sentence above.
Jul 11th 2012 10:36 Kelly
Well what you are saying is true Tony ^^
Jul 11th 2012 15:23 kensa
Thanks for explanation.
Thanks to many correctors, I understood completely.
Jul 11th 2012 23:03 Kelly
No Problem anytime :D
tony
Thank you for your correction!
Jul 11th 2012 10:18
  • Hi there, I have a question for a following sentence.

  • Hi there, I have a question about the following sentence.

    You are talking about a specific sentence (the one on the next line), so the definite article "the" is appropriate, not the indefinite article "a".
    You can replace the period at the end of the sentence by a colon (:), which calls attention to what follows.

 
  • Could you explain to "UFO's"?

  • Could you explain the apostrophe in "UFO's"?

 
"UFO" is an acronym (as you know, it stands for "unidentified flying object"). Some people use an apostrophe followed by 's' to form the plural of a single letter, or of a sequence of letters which stand for something else. This is supposed to make it easier to see that the 's' means a plural, and is not just another letter in the sequence. It was a standard practice a long time ago, but it is now much more common to omit the apostrophe.

Other examples:

There are no d's or u's in this sentence.
(Here, writing "ds or us" would be confusing; many people would write 'd's or 'u's instead.)
Mind your p's and q's. (Also written "Mind your Ps and Qs."
(This is a set phrase, meaning to be careful about your language. There are a number of theories for what 'p' and 'q' originally referred to.)
Jul 11th 2012 15:25 kensa
As you gave many example, I understood.
Thanks tony.
kensa
Jul 12th 2012 09:26
Hi every advisors, thanks for your time.
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Hi there, I have a question for a following sentence. There is no evidence that UFO's came to the earth. Could you explain to "UFO's"? Isn't it plural?


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