英语语法：53 Greeting Card Grammar

Grammar Girl here.

 

The holidays are upon us, so it's time to answer questions about how to write greeting cards and party invitations. Here's Elaina:

Hi. I have a question about the plural¹ form of last names. For example, if the last name is Alvarez, how do you say “the Alvarezes”? Do you use an apostrophe? Do you not use the s?

 
Making Words That End in S or Z Plural
 
To make names that end in z plural, you add -es to the end of the name. So you would say you are going to visit the Alvarezes — a-l-v-a-r-e-z-E-S. The same rule applies when names end in s, so the Joneses invite you to dinner — j-o-n-e-s-E-S. You don't use an apostrophe to make the names plural.
 
You use an apostrophe to make the names possessive. For example, let's say you went to visit the Alvarezes and then you wanted to write a letter telling your mom about their wonderful house. To make Alvarezes possessive, you add an apostrophe to the end, so you would write “Mom, you should have seen the Alvarezes' house!” That's a-l-v-a-r-e-z-e-s-apostrophe — Alvarezes' [apostrophe] house.
 
So now you've got that: If a name ends in s or z, add -es to make it plural and an apostrophe to make it possessive.
 
Punctuating² Salutations
 
Next, if you're writing a holiday letter, you might be interested in a bet that Laura and her husband John recently asked me to settle. Their question is how to write a salutation: How do you write something like “Hi, Squiggly”?
 
It seems straightforward³, but it's not. Although most people seem to think that hi is just a friendly substitute for dear, it isn't. Dear is an adjective, but hi is an interjection just like the words indeed, yes, and oh.
 
So technically⁴ Hi, Squiggly is a complete sentence that begins with an interjection, and an interjection at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a comma. So the correct way to write this is “Hi, Squiggly.” with a comma after hi and a period after Squiggly: Hi [comma] Squiggly [period]. You could also put an exclamation⁵ point at the end, depending on how excited you feel about the greeting.
 
The problem is that almost nobody knows that greetings should be punctuated⁶ this way, so it looks weird⁷ when you do it right. In fact, it's extremely rare to see an e-mail salutation that uses a comma after the hi. I'm always torn about whether to use the comma. It is correct, but it seems a bit pedantic⁸ given the widespread use of the incorrect alternative – especially when you are replying to someone who has already done it the wrong way. Use your own judgment⁹. I usually put it in, but you'll be in good company if you leave it out.
 
Dear Squiggly, (correct)
Hi, Squiggly. (correct)
Hi Squiggly, (widespread to the point of becoming acceptable)
 
Compound Possession and Apostrophes
 
Finally, we've talked about this before, but compound possession can come up in invitations, so I'll go over it again. Imagine that Aardvark and Squiggly live in the same house and they are inviting¹⁰ people over for dinner. The location you are inviting people to is Aardvark and Squiggly's house – with only one apostrophe s. Because they share the house, they share one apostrophe s.
 
If Aardvark and Squiggly live in different houses, and they are having a progressive dinner where they go from one house to the next, then the location on the invitation would read Aardvark's and Squiggly's houses. They don't share the house, so they can't share an apostrophe s. Both names need an apostrophe s: Aardvark's and Squiggly's houses.
 
Grammar Gift Ideas
 
This week's podcast is sponsored by, well, me! If you're looking for a stocking stuffer, please consider my hour-long audiobook: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing. It's only $9.95 for a CD [Amazon] or $4.95 for the downloadable version, which you could then burn to a CD if you're on a tight budget [iTunes, Audible]. It makes a great gift for the teacher or language lover on your list.
 
I also have three winners this week from the list of newsletter subscribers: LuAnne, Christian¹¹, and Ben each win a copy my audiobook.
 
If you want a different kind of gift, I've also created T-shirts with fun grammar slogans such as To infinitives¹² and beyond and Don't verbify me, bro!
 
There are links to the book and the T-shirts at the Grammar Girl website, which you'll find at quickanddirtytips.com.
 
Also, since it is easy to get flustered¹³ during the holiday season, it's an especially good time to be more mindful of your behavior, and this week Mr. Manners has a great episode about how you can be more considerate of others when you are out on the sidewalk.
 
That's all. Thanks for listening.
 

1 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

2 punctuating   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的现在分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Finally, it all came to a halt, with only Leehom's laboured breathing punctuating the silence. 最后，一切静止，只剩力宏吃力的呼吸，打破寂静。 来自互联网
• Li, punctuating the air with her hands, her fingernails decorated with pink rose decals. 一边说着，一边用手在空中一挥，指甲上还画了粉红玫瑰图案。 来自互联网

3 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

4 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

5 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

6 punctuated   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Her speech was punctuated by bursts of applause. 她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。
• The audience punctuated his speech by outbursts of applause. 听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

8 pedantic   

adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的

参考例句：

• He is learned,but neither stuffy nor pedantic.他很博学，但既不妄自尊大也不卖弄学问。
• Reading in a pedantic way may turn you into a bookworm or a bookcase,and has long been opposed.读死书会变成书呆子，甚至于成为书橱，早有人反对过了。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 infinitives   

n.（动词）不定式( infinitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her litmus test for good breeding is whether you split infinitives. 她测试别人是否具有良好教养的标准是看对方是否在不定式的动词前加修饰副词。 来自互联网
• Nouns, adjectives and infinitives can be used as objective complements. 名词，形容词及不定式可用作补语。 来自互联网

13 flustered   

adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了，都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句