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 Post subject: Possessed
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 6:48 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 1025
Location: The Lexington Avenue Spaceship
A minor but puzzling issue that arose here t'other night:<p>A story referred to the Mercer, Camden, Essex and Middlesex County Prosecutor's Offices. The debate was this: In that construction, should it be Prosecutor's Offices or Prosecutors' Offices? The argument for the former was that "Prosecutor's" modifies "Office," and there is only one prosecutor (excluding assistants) in each county, so only "office" should be plural. The argument for the latter was that the prosecutors and their offices were being referred to collectively, so both should be plural.<p>We were unable to reach a satisfying resolution. Thoughts?<p>(As a side note, before anyone points out the seeming capitalization error, our style is to capitalize the common elements in a list of proper nouns as in the example above or in Broad and Walnut Streets. It is not a style rule of which I approve.)


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 Post subject: Re: Possessed
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:33 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:01 am
Posts: 968
Location: Champaign, Ill.
If the prosecutors and their offices are being referred to collectively, then "Prosecutor's Offices" refers to everyone in those offices in those counties, including the prosecutors themselves. The "Prosecutors' Offices" is unnecessary.<p>My question is thus: Shouldn't it be "Counties" (adhering to your paper's style)? And how does the possessive work there? And have I just opened Pandora's Box?<p>[ November 22, 2004: Message edited by: Niko Dugan ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Possessed
PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 12:42 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 744
Location: HuskerLand
Two thoughts:<p>You could remake the sentence to refer to the prosecutor's office in Middlesex, Essex, etc. counties.<p>OR you could generalize it and say "Prosecutors in five counties -- whatever they are -- are ..." and leave out the whole idea of the office.<p>[ November 24, 2004: Message edited by: majorbabs ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Possessed
PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:22 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:01 am
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Location: The Lexington Avenue Spaceship
That would have been my choice, but the discussion arose on deadline, during proofing, when only minor surgery would have been possible.


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 Post subject: Re: Possessed
PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:11 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 744
Location: HuskerLand
Isn't that always the case? Better luck next time.


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