Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes
It's a sad, sad language that is only discernable through the context of the conversation or the writing.
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In this case though, it seems that it's only usage that has permitted the use of the apostrophe with plural abbreviations.
It does seem that 'most' grammar books don't condone it. So the 'correct' way to make 1970 plural is to write 1970s (which is the way I have always done it).
Writing 1970's is not condoned precisely because it is ambiguous. (See the link I gave above.)
The extension of this is presumably that the following would also be 'correct':
1970's Christmas episode was better than 1971's.
The 1970s' Christmas episodes were better than those from the 1980s.
Let the debate begin! ;-)
Edit:
Whoops. Just noticed this wasn't the plurals of abbreviations discussion. Wrong thread, sorry. Was meant to be in
this one.
Graham