It sincerely bothers me...

[bouncyweee]

that LiveJournal does not know how to write in the possessive plural. "Friends page" should be "Friends'" page

Comments

[polyethylenept2]

Yay for enjoying school!

And be wary - lest you become what you would complain about at SD - being too wordy and snobby/sophisticated with your language.

I think Livejournal means it as "The page that contains friends" not "the page that belongs to the friend"

But anyways, Viva la Friends Page!

[polyethylenept2]

Er I mean not "the page that belongs to the friendS"

[bouncyweee]

it says "friends page." Talk about being too wordy or strange in the writing if they mean "the page that contains friends." Which, I still think would use an s'. Would you say "oranges bowl?" or the "bowl of oranges"? (wink) if you meant it that way.

And yes, I was practicing more academic writing. I like it, and I missed it. It feels good to read those articles again. Trust me, I won't go around speaking or writing like that on a daily basis.

[bouncyweee]

And like you should talk! Have you ever read your over flowery entries? :P

[newerabooks]

From the AP Style Book, grammar bible of news writers:

"Possessives: ...Descriptive Phrases: Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense: citizens band radio, a Cincinnati Reds infielder, a teachers college, a Teamsters request, a writers guide.
"Memory Aid: The apostrophe usually is not used if for or by rather than of would be appropriate in the longer form: a radio band for citizens, a college for teachers, a guide for writers, a request by the Teamsters."

So which is friends(') page? Is it a page for capturing all of my friends' journal entries? Is it a page of entries written by my friends?

I can't think of an of sentence, which makes me lean toward no apostrophe.

[bouncyweee]

I thought of it as a page of my friends' writing. But I was unaware of the casual rule, thanks Emily!