Whether youre sending cards, posting on social media, or delivering good wishes in person, youll want to brush up on your handy holiday phrases. Seasons greet ings is a shortened form for greetings of the season and makes excellent sense. The season does have its appropriate greetings, such as merry christmas. Dec 04, 2014 the apostrophe also needs special attention when sending your christmas wishes. Seasons greetings meaning in the cambridge english. Tis the season for good grammar, along with all those glad tidings. Is there an apostrophe before the s in greetings answers. When somebody writes seasons greetings,is an apostrophe appropriate in seasons. First, the apostrophe makes the names possessive, and when we send greetings, they are from us, not from something we own the names smith and williams would need to be in the possessive case only if the greeting were from jane smiths hamster or john williamss goldfish. Ontario training network word choice seasons greetings. The exact origin of the phrase seasons greetings is unknown, but it is believed to have. Seasons greetings meaning of seasons greetings by lexico. Veterans day is plural but not possessive, for historical reasons shrouded in mystery. The chairman of the apostrophe protection society, john richards, has received many enquiries regarding the correct use of the apostrophe in the english language.
The correct form is the first one, season s greetings. She is sending greetings for the season or greeting people in the spirit of the season. The greetings belong to the season, so you need the possessive with the apostrophe and not the plural seasons. Nowadays political correctness would have us believe that christmas is prac.
It is technically a possessive, seasons greetings greetings of the christmas season, but on posters, banners, and cards the apostrophe is often omitted. Some 1,500 leading members of malaysias large christian community have received seasons greetings from abdullah. The apostrophe tells us that the greetings are regarding the current season and all the holidays in it. Veterans day has no apostrophe, but new years day does have one. Adding an apostrophe to seasons greetings is correct, since it makes the phrase possessive. To show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. The greetings, on the other hand, are friendly regards or wishes. Seasons greetings or seasons greetings and confusing. So, go forth and be merry and greet the season with an apostrophe. Dec 21, 2004 season seasons if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Dec 16, 2009 season s greetings or seasons greetings. Dec 21, 2012 a simple and timely reminder for our final mind your language column of the year. The correct spelling is seasons greetings, according to the oxford english dictionary.
I had to redo the image by adding the apostrophe after the fact. Instead, somebody is collectively giving the greetings of the holiday season. Not only are we getting together with loved ones, but we also take. The expression seasons greetings is an expression of genitive case also known as possessive.
When belinda says seasons greetings, the greetings are hers. Dec 27, 2019 now that its the new year, i have so much more time. How to make your last name plural on holiday cards and avoid. How to make your last name plural this christmas season. You would include an apostrophe when using the terms new years eve, or new years day. Nicole fornabaiousing the phrase seasons greetings is a popular way.
Have a great 2019 filled with the same, good health, and lots of nachas. Tis the season tis the season might be one of the most popular holiday phrases for which nobody knows its actual meaning. With the seasons greetings or simply the seasons greetings was shortened to seasons greetings in the 1920s. Which is grammatically correct, seasons greetings or seasons. The churches have arrived but the bohmbachs are running late. If youre a copywriter or blogger, i assume you already know the basics of how to make things plural i. Get the nittygritty on new year, new years, and new years so you can make a toast at midnight and get your punctuation right while youre at it. The apostrophe bedevils many, but in this case you want to use it because the meaning of the phrase is greetings of the holiday season. Theres one time of year where handwritten messages abound, and thats the christmas season.
Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. New years is the end of one year and the beginning of another year. Yes, this is the moment every year where i have to share my reminder about how to make your last name plural on your christmas cards hint. Seasons greetings is a shortened form for greetings of the season and makes excellent sense. So, generally speaking, foreign surnames will follow the same rules. Dec 14, 2019 how to make your last name plural this christmas season originally appeared on. However, please remember seasons greetings without the apostrophe means greetings for many seasons. Dec 22, 2016 fox news just surrendered in the war on christmas. How to make your last name plural on holiday cards and.
Should you send seasons greetings or seasons greetings. Because youre wishing someone greetings of the season, so the season owns the greetings. Which is grammatically correct, seasons greetings or. You capitalize new year when youre talking about the holiday or the big day, but not when youre referring to the new year as a timeframe. The wellknown and cherished seasons greetings are often confused with the apostropheless seasons greetings. As merry, happy and holidays are not proper names, there is no need. This gets tricky if the last name ends in the letter s. Dec 05, 2016 is it seasons greetings or season s greetings. Apostrophes mark possession, but the degree can vary, which makes seasons greetings a bit counterintuitive the glad tidings dont belong to the season in the same way that frostys top hat belongs to him. If there were an added apostrophe as in, the bakers or the bakers, it would make the term possessive. The letter s in the word greetings is part of this word. What if the end of my last name normally functions as an irregular noun. Dec 23, 2017 the apostrophe tells us that the greetings are regarding the current season and all the holidays in it.
Theyre rather generic, but you could personalize the message further if youd like. Pet peeves, apostrophes, and plural family names writeshop. When somebody writes seasons greetings,is an apostrophe. The expression seasons greetings is an expression of genitive case also known as possessive in which one noun is the possessor of another noun. Is it seasons greetings or seasons greetings answers. Sep 17, 20 with the seasons greetings or simply the seasons greetings was shortened to seasons greetings in the 1920s. In the case of seasons greetings, adding an apostrophe and the letter s to the word season indicates possession. The word season in this twoword phrase typically covers the whole gamut of holidays packed into the last month and a half of the year, from thanksgiving to christmas, hanukkah to kwanzaa, and of course the new year too.
Consider how many american last names have their roots in other countries. The correct form is the first one, seasons greetings. To make a last name that ends in s plural, add es so reeves becomes reeveses. According to wikipedia, seasons greetings is a term that wishes people well over. If youre wishing someone greetings of the season, youre wishing seasons greetings. The last thing you want to worry about when ringing in the new year is where to put the apostrophe. Other holidays that are spelled with an apostrophe are valentines day, st. I would have thought the second one was correct as it takes in thanksgiving, christmas and also new year which would be several seasons. Seasons greetings jiggle blur arthur morrisbirds as art.
In addition, if you are referring to one season, you would write seasons greetings. Similar pitfalls constitute the capitalisation of merry christmas and happy holidays. The correct spelling is season s greetings, according to the oxford english dictionary. Find out with our guide to the most common christmas card grammar mistakes. A simple and timely reminder for our final mind your language column of the year. First, though, i find a stack of christmas cards and begin to flip through them, pausing to marvel at how big soandsos kids have gotten. We are not discussing johns in general, we are only talking about you. My argument with some coworkersis that it is not correct to add an apostrophe. Below are some of the frequently asked questions he has answered. This is because, as you surely must know, the apostrophe s indicates possession.
Only use an apostrophe when you want to make a name possessive. The same applies to names ending in z so gonzalez becomes gonzalezes. Fox news just surrendered in the war on christmas esquire. Where should the apostrophe go in seasons greetings. If the name does not end in s, add apostrophe and s. Frequently asked questions apostrophe protection society. While preparing your holiday cards, you may be stumped by a recurring december dilemma. For example, a reference to sophias arrival does not. Seasons greetings definition in the cambridge english. What if my last name is or contains an irregular noun. Its with an apostrophe, because its possessive, ie the greetings of the season, or, seasons greetings. This season, youll give and receive countless holiday greetings. It is technically a possessive, season s greetings greetings of the christmas season, but on posters, banners, and cards the apostrophe is often omitted.
And the waves of confusion over this expressions apostrophe have returned time and time again, peaking between 1907 and 1926, again in the 1940s, and then. Nothing quells my christmas cheer as quickly as a stray apostrophe. When considering the use of an apostrophe, possession involves of and for. You are only referring to one season, the winter xmas holiday season. Here are eight commonly confused phrases that you can skate around this holiday. The association extends seasons greetings to all members and every good wish for the year ahead. How to make last names plural, even when they end in s. It is not irregular when it is part of a last name. Patricks day, and april fools day all have their singular prossessive form, and so, while were at it, does seasons greetings. The apostrophe also needs special attention when sending your christmas wishes. Season s greetings is a shortened form for greetings of the season and makes excellent sense.
Seasons, the plural, makes no sense as an adjective modifying greetings. Seasons greetings, and please dont forget the apostrophe. Tis the season for explaining common holiday phrases. The apostrophe makes the term look possessive, but it isnt truly possessive, just quasipossessive. To show singular possession of a name ending in ch, add s on the end of the name.
What is the correct way to writing season s greetings. Patricks day, mothers day, fathers day, presidents day, and april fools day. Happy holidays, seasons greetings, and oh, yes, merry christmas to all, and to all a good night. Season s greetings messages for coworkers these season s greetings are short, oneline greetings that you could use to wish a coworker or acquaintance happy holidays.
Ensure that your holiday cards are tall on seasonal greetings and short on. In the case of seasons greetings, adding an apostrophe. Nov 29, 2003 when somebody writes seasons greetings,is an apostrophe appropriate in seasons. And they did take a subtle swipe at it by refusing to include an apostrophe. Steve, winter begins dec 21st, which is before xmas. But, rest assured, an apostrophe is required, because its is a contraction for it is. The only one that is correct is season s greetings. Seasons greetings or seasons greetings and confusing holiday. The phrase seasons greetings can be considered a descriptive genitive or an objective genitive. The first one, because its basically short for greetings of the season. Happy new year follows the same rule, so you would not capitalize happy unless it begins the sentence. Dec 23, 2008 since the winter solstice is one season, then youre referring to the greetings youre giving as belonging to one season. The exact origin of seasons greetings is unclear, going perhaps as far back as the 1500s according to some sources, but its been used commonly at least since the mid1800s. At this time, it was most likely used more often than its.
Adding an apostrophe to seasons greetings is correct, since it makes the phrase. Nov 16, 2017 how to make your last name plural this christmas season. Seasons greetings and other seasonal pitfalls bridging. So, when used in a sentence, it would be appropriate to write seasons greetings from the smith family. Although s can be easily confused with s in words like thats that is, in the possessive phrase seasons greetings it is a relic of the days when english had a case system as many other languages still do, and is a genitive or possessive inflection originally es and the apostrophe shows the absence of the e. Keep those apostrophes in check when thinking about. The apostrophe is required not because a season is a person with. That being said, i am not going to stop saying merry christmas. Seasons greetings and other seasonal pitfalls bridging the.
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