Cecil Cited

Comments on Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
#1

Evan Morris, normally the all-knowing proprietor of The Word Detective column, decided in the current (Oct. 26, 2003) column to bow to his superior when it came to the origin of “pompatus”.

http://www.word-detective.com/current.html

“Adam’s researcher” huh? Hi, Little Ed.

#2

Little Evan needs a little editor. It should have been “Adams’ researcher”.

#3

Actually, if you re-read the Pompatus of Love, you will see Adam’s researcher, in this case, was J.K.Fabian.

#4

Who is this “Adam” they keep referring to? :frowning:

#5

Sooorrrrryyy! You are right - I should have said Adams’.

Jeez.

#6

Myself, I prefer Adams’s. In 7th-grade English I was violently forced to learn that you only ever use the s-apostrophe form for plural possessives, and never just for indicating possession by a single entity whose name happens to end in “s.” Thus, if I had said “Adam’s researcher” or “Adams’ researcher” instead of “Adams’s researcher” on a paper for that class, I would have been slain messily.

Later, I learned that 7th-grade English teachers will often make things seem much more absolute than they are in reality – many of the grammar guides I examined said that “Adams’ researcher” was fine. So alas, I’ve had to abandon my hard-line anti-s-apostrophe stance. But I still prefer to only see it used on plural possessives. It just feels more consistent.

#7

“Adams’” vs. “Adams’s” is just one of those things that, in practice, are determined by house style guides. I agree that “Adams’s” is preferable.

#8

Well, sorry Mr or Ms* J. K. Fabian. (J. K. isn’t sexed in the column.) I do always like to give credit where credit is due.

But I’ll bet Little Ed’s hands are all over this piece. :slight_smile:

  • Anyone want to start an argument over whether a period should be used after Ms? And if not, whether Mr. and Ms is a correct formation? :smiley:
#9

J.K Fabian is Jane, and is definitely female. Jane was the very first board moderator Ed hired (drafted? tricked into slavery? :)) back on the AOL boards, and was our first board Goddess. I think that was in late ’96, but I could be mis-remembering.

TubaDiva was the next Goddess to join the ranks of the elevated (duped? suckered? severely taken advantage of? :)), and then the other mods and administrators, many of which came over here when the Reader pulled out of AOL and started this website.

I seem to remember that Jane modded here for a while, but most of her time seemed to be taken up assisting Unca Cec. At some point I believe her real life commitments caused her to pretty much withdraw from board life. I’m not sure to what extent she stills acts as an assistant for Cecil.

#10

<< I believe her real life commitments caused her to pretty much withdraw from board life. I’m not sure to what extent she stills acts as an assistant for Cecil. >>

Not at all, anymore. Some of us are still in touch with her, because she’s a wonderful person with lots of talents.

#11

Thanks, Dex, I kind of thought that was the case, but I wasn’t positive.

And if you happen to talk to her tell I said Hi and I hope things are going well for her. Maybe she’ll get back here and post now and again. :slight_smile:

#12

Learn something new every day. I knew that Cecil used to have an assistant named Jane, and I knew that he had an assistant named J. K. Fabian, but I thought they were two separate people, and that Fabian was male. That’s the hazard of initials, I suppose.