when should apostrophes be avoided in formal writing dissertation

On the formal end of the spectrum, you have the scholarly writing you do for classroom assignments, theses and dissertations, and publications. When writing a contraction, remember that an apostrophe marks the place where letters have been omitted. Writing assumes many categories. Apostrophes are used to show that a noun or pronoun is in the possessive case. In writing, though, they should be avoided since they add extra words without extra meaning. All of this should be done without real regard for formal language. Except for such conventional phrases, however, you should always write out years in full when you are writing formally: do not write something like *the '39­'45 war, but write instead the 1939­1945 war. Avoid use of the apostrophe for plurals. First-person pronouns. – are a topic of debate in academic writing.In some scientific disciplines, the first person has traditionally been avoided to maintain an objective, impersonal tone and keep the focus on the material rather than the author. Formal writing is one category. Unusual plurals As a general rule, we never use an apostrophe in writing plural forms. Use concise language. Avoid using apostrophes to indicate a plural. Contractions are a part of informal writing. It is governed by certain rules and regulations that should be adhered to. ‘Charlie is Jenny’s cat’ means the cat named Charlie belongs to Jenny) and to show missing letters in words (e.g. This site details probably the most common and simply avoidable writing mistakes. Apostrophes are punctuation marks used to indicate possession. Introduction. The placement of an apostrophe depends upon the word you are making possessive. Don't use contractions in formal writing assignments, such as essays, technical writing, cover letters or formal business communications unless you have permission. You are writing for the strength and clarity of your ideas. Personal pronouns that refer to the author or authors – I, we, my, etc. If there is more than one ball, write balls not ball’s. Once the content and argument are up to par, then you edit for flow. This is because Jacob and Elsy is a cohesive noun and hence one apostrophe is needed. These guidelines should be taken as … Of course, occasionally you may for rhetorical effect decide to use, say, an expletive construction instead of a more succinct expression. Possession. Up to now you are writing to develop a thesis and defend it. We use contractions in speech every day. For example, if you’re writing a research paper or thesis, you might consider avoiding contractions so as to appear more formal. For acronyms and years, one should know how and where to use apostrophes. it’s = it is or it has; should’ve = should have).In academic writing, words that use apostrophes for missing letters (i.e. The language used in formal writing impacts on the understanding levels of readers. Avoid the use of contractions in formal and professional writing. The apostrophe is an important piece of punctuation.The main uses of apostrophes are to show ownership (e.g. For example: Don't forget to vote! Ask someone to read it and comment. Thus, avoid contractions in scholarly writing, except for under the following circumstances: It entails: academic writing, formal letters and business writing. Singular possessive. Errors to avoid when writing a thesis Some writing mistakes are extremely common and sometimes observed in both printed material an internet-based. Using contractions makes your language sound more informal, which may make you sound less authoritative or make a serious issue sound too casual. Below are tips for formal writing. In writing, their usage is less cut and dried. When to Avoid Contractions. Contractions are shortened versions of words or phrases typically limited to casual speech or writing. However, if you’re writing a blog post, you’d probably prefer to use contractions (and therefore our friend the apostrophe). The apostrophe is used to indicate possession (e.g., Tom’s plan, the cat’s whiskers) and to show the omission of letters where a word has been contracted (e.g., I can’t remember the ’80s for I cannot remember the 1980s).In some rare cases an apostrophe can be used to form a plural. For formal language ownership ( e.g be adhered to personal pronouns that refer to the author or –... Mistakes are extremely common and sometimes observed in both printed material an internet-based letters been... 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