The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 20.0512 Thursday, 15 October 2009
From: Nancy Charlton <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 14 Oct 2009 12:58:44 -0700
Subject: 20.0500 English Language Day
Comment: Re: SHK 20.0500 English Language Day
Greetings!
I am forwarding this post, as Ms Martirosyan requested, to several
friends and relations (including a few lawyers) though I haven't yet
taken the survey myself.
However, it prompts me to post something that has been sitting around
politely requesting attention. Last July the Portland Actors Ensemble,
long-time provider of outdoor Shakespeare performances, mounted an
excellent King Lear.
What prompts me to write at this time is this report of the English
Project was a notice on the program. One of the sponsors of the
production wrote of itself that it is a "university that's mission is to
prepare leaders . . ."
"That's"? A genitive ('possessive' to the Latin-challenged) of "that"?
Has such a barbarity taken hold as accepted usage, or am I missing
something? "That's" may fill a need, but are copywriters for this
university -- or ANY university -- so deficient in normal standard
English as not to know the genitive of "that" is "whose"? I do remember
seeing this long ago on a draft that I proofread for an insurance salesman.
I'll be interested to hear what you all think of this usage.
Nancy Charlton
Beaverton, Oregon USA
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