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Oxford English dictionary spelling

The Writing Centre

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Room 0036 Ottawa, ON
Canada K1N 6N5

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Tel.: 613 562-5800 ext. 2267

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E-mail:
writcent@uOttawa.ca

 

Good Work!

Question:
They wanted very badly to see Peter Weirs new film, but fate in the form of the year's worst snowstorm intruded.
Answer:
The answer Incorrect is correct.
Explanation:
You should punctuate the sentence as follows:
They wanted very badly to see Peter Weir's new film, but fate, in the form of the year's worst snowstorm, intruded.
OR
They wanted very badly to see Peter Weir's new film, but fate -- in the form of the year's worst snowstorm -- intruded.
You need the apostrophe in "Weir's" to indicate the possessive (if you thought that his name was "Peter Weirs," then "Weirs"' or "Weirs's" would also be correct). The phrase "in the form of the year's worst snowstorm" is non-restrictive, or parenthetical, and you must set it off in some fashion. Most writers would use commas, but you could use dashes if you wished to emphasize the parenthetical information.
 
 

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Last updated: 2010.06.25