涉外法律文书简明教程：缩略符缩略符－见译注当一个学生向教授提交书面作业或向律师事务所提交书面材料时，没有什么比错误的使用或不使用缩略符造成的负面印象更严峻了。因此，掌握这些简单，却常常容易混淆的规那么特别重要。在四种情形下使用或不使用缩略符容易引起混淆，分别是（1）复数词（2）单数所有格（3）复数所有格和（4）it’s和its的缩写方式（Contractions，seecrossreferencehereunder）与所有格。是否使用所有格，要先征询征询本人是否涉及拥有关系。假设是拥有关系，名词或带词就要采取所有格。规那么1、Plainpluralwordsdonotrequiretheuseofanapostrophe.Forexample:Incorrect:Thelawyer’scouldgenerallybefoundafterhoursattheHanoverStreetBarandGrill.(Theapostrophehereincorrectlyindicatesasingularpossessive.)Incorrect:Thelawyers’couldgenerallybefoundafterhoursattheHanoverStreetBarandGrill.(Theapostrophehereincorrectlyindicatesapluralpossessive.)Correct:ThelawyerscouldgenerallybefoundafterhoursattheHanoverStreetBarandGrill.(Thelackofanapostropheherecorrectlyindicatesaplural,nonpossessiveterm.)规那么2、Insingularpossessiveterms,placetheapostrophebeforethes.Thiswillindicateownershipbyonepersonorthing.Forexample:Incorrect:OurschoolscollectionincludedanoriginalsetofBlackstone’sCommentaries.Incorrect:Ourschools’collectionincludedanoriginalsetofBlackstone’sCommentaries.Correct:Ourschool’scollectionincludedanoriginalsetofBlackstone’sCommentaries.规那么3、Inpluralpossessiveterms,placetheapostropheafterthes.Thiswillindicatetothereaderthatmorethanonepersonorthingownsthethingpossessed.Incorrect:Thestudentssuccesswaslargelyattributabletotheirhardworkanddedication.Incorrect:Thestudent’ssuccesswaslargelyattributabletotheirhardworkanddedication.Correct:Thestudents’successwaslargelyattributabletotheirhardworkanddedication.规那么4、Howtodistinguishitsandit’s.It’sisthecontractionofitis,asinthesentence,It’sbestnottoquestionthejudge’sknowledgeofthelawsofevidenceinopencourt.Informalwriting,however,onegenerallyshouldnotusecontractions.Thus,thebetterformulationofthesentenceabovewouldbe:Itisbestnottoquestionthejudge’sknowledgeofthelawsofevidenceinopencourt.Itsisapossessive,asinthesentence,Thetrucklostitsmufflerasitenteredthepothole-ladenKennedyExpressway.Thisistherarecaseinwhichapossessivetermdoesnottakeanapostrophe.规那么5、Aless-oftenfaceddecisioninvolvestheuseofapostropheswheremultipleownersarenamed.Wheretwoormorepeopleownoneitemjointly,placeanapostrophebeforeansonlyafterthesecond-namedperson.Forexample:Incorrect:Bill’sandMary’scarwasalemon,leadingthemtoseekrescissionoftheircontractunderthestate’slemonlaw.Correct:BillandMary’scarwasalemon,leadingthemtoseekrescissionoftheircontractunderthestate’slemonlaw.However,whentwoormorepeopleowntwoormoreitemsseparately,eachindividual’snameshouldtakethepossessiveform.Forexample:Incorrect:JoanneandTodd’scarswereboughtfromthesamedealer;bothproveduseless,eventhoughJoanne’scarwasanimportandTodd’swasadomesticmodel.Correct:Joanne’sandTodd’scarswereboughtfromthesamedealer;bothproveduseless,eventhoughJoanne’scarwasanimportandTodd’swasadomesticmodel.规那么6、Whencreatingthepossessiveformofwordsendingins,useonlyanapostropheafterthesifthewordendsinazsound.However,ifthewordendsinanssounduseanapostropheandanadditionalstocreatethepossessive.LessDesirable:HewasastudentinProfessorAdams’sclass.MoreDesirable:HewasastudentinProfessorAdams’class.However:HewasastudentinProfessorWeiss’sclass.CrossReference:Contractions缩约词，通过省略或结合一个较长短语中的某些音素而构成的词，如从willnot来的won’t，或短语如从oftheclock来的o’clock。译注：apostrophe省略符号,撇号(‘)[用于①表示省略,如:can’t,(=cannot);‘88(=1988)②表示所有格,如boy’s;James’③表示复数,如two0’s,four9’s④表示年代,如the1980’s(读作thenineteeneighties)20世纪80年代⑤表示一字中的某一音不发,如:‘lectric(=electric)]
