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9 Responses to “Nintendo needs to work on its engrish”

1. bobjr777 says:

   July 24, 2007 at 8:44 pm

   I dont see whats wrong with this. It’s dry bones’s turn. He owns the turn. It is his turn. You wouldent say it its mario turn. you have to add the ’s for correct english. Example Jim’s turn. Its Harris’s turn. Nintendo is perfectly correct in their english.
2. blockbot says:

   July 24, 2007 at 9:39 pm

   Sorry bobjr777, you are wrong, when you have a noun that ends in “s”, you don’t add an additional “s”. The correct would be “Dry Bones’ turn”.
3. bobjr777 says:

   July 24, 2007 at 9:47 pm

   That makes more sence. Nintendo will probably correct it in a patch.
4. whatever says:

   July 24, 2007 at 11:55 pm

   Actually neither is incorrect. You can verify this by googling a bit. Here’s a few examples:

   http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~olson/pms/apostrophe.html
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe

   I’m not a native speaker, and I remember learning this in English class. I’m surprised so many native speakers assume something like "Bones’s turn" is absolutely incorrect.

   As always, master your own language before making fun of foreign speakers. :P
5. blockbot says:

   July 25, 2007 at 12:05 am

   @whatever

   Not making fun or foreign speakers, I know I wrote “Engrish”, just joking around, I thought it was more funny that it was probably Nintendo of America’s mistake.

   Here is a quote from one of your sources:

   “If the singular possessive is difficult or awkward to pronounce with an added s sound, do not add an extra s”

   “dry bones turn” or “dry boneses turn”, the second is awkward, therefore no “s”
6. whatever says:

   July 25, 2007 at 1:47 am

   Funny that you’re still referring to it as a mistake, even though it’s technically the preferred punctuation. Did you read the whole paragraph in the source you quoted?

   “_Respected_sources_ require that almost all singular nouns, including those ending in s, z, or x, have possessive forms with an extra s after the apostrophe. … Such sources would demand possessive singulars like these: Senator Jones’s umbrella; Mephistopheles’s cat.”

   SOME SOURCES follow the rule you quoted, but “Such sources permit possessive singulars like these: Socrates’ later suggestion; James’s house, or James’ house, depending on which pronunciation is intended.”

   I’m guessing for you to be right, you’ll maintain that any singular possessive is difficult or awkward to prounce with an added s sound. :P

   Just admit that you tried to make fun of something, but turns out the joke’s on you. Come on! ;)
7. blockbot says:

   July 25, 2007 at 2:03 pm

   I am not saying that any singular possessive is difficult or awkward to pronounce, if I did think that, why I would refer to a conditional rule?

   I will maintain my view that this is a mistake because it creates a an awkward pronunciation. :P
8. whatever says:

   July 25, 2007 at 9:06 pm

   I hope the :P means that you’re joking and not just being stubborn despite respected sources that “*demand* possessive singulars like these: Senator Jones’s umbrella; Mephistopheles’s cat.”

   These respected sources noted in the Wikipedia entry include Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style”, which is where I recall first learning the correct way to punctuate “Bones’s.”

   It’s a really short guide (quick read) and a well-known, respected reference for future occasions of questionable punctuations. :P

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style
9. blockbot says:

   July 29, 2007 at 1:46 am

   @whatever

   Both of your sources that you have referred to have no definitive answer.

   “Since there is no agreement on this difficult problem, you must make your own choice.”

   This is quoted from:

   http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~olson/pms/apostrophe.html

   In every English class I have taken between high school and college it has always been taught that there should not be an extra “s”. So, yes, on a technicality you can have that extra “s”, but it is more widely accepted to drop it.