Britney Spears

Question

Hi,this was written by a 17-year-old American girl. What do you expect, she's Britney Spears sister. At least she's having some heart to keep the baby instead of having abortion.I'd like to hear some comments from you. If possible, don't just say "This is wrong, period" or "It's ok, period"... If you can give a complete opinion on how it sound to American ears, I'll appreciate it. Thanks

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

I'd suggest:

What do you expect, she's Britney Spears's sister. At least she's showing some heart by keeping the baby instead of having an abortion.

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi,
thanks. I don't want to change the verbs or words anyway, just get some comments on it.

I don't understand why it's "Britney Spears sister" ans not "Britney Spears's sister" (= pronounced Spearses sister).

And why she says "She's having some heart". I always hear these continuous tenses where prescriptive grammar would forbid them. Like "I can finally buy that sweater I've been wanting!".

Marius Hancu · Answer

You're right about that one. Edited my posting.

Kooyeen · Answer

I was posting too.
Anyway, I'm not sure I'm right, because I just looked for some video about that, on Youtube, because I wanted to "hear" it. It turned out on CBS they said "Britney Spears sister", not "Spears's".

KooyeenHi,
thanks. I don't want to change the verbs or words anyway, just get some comments on it.

I don't understand why it's "Britney Spears sister" ans not "Britney Spears's sister" (= pronounced Spearses sister).

And why she says "She's having some heart". I always hear these continuous tenses where prescriptive grammar would forbid them. Like "I can finally buy that sweater I've been wanting!".

Kooyeen · Answer

Ok, I just searched the net, and it's definitely not "Spears's". I wonder why. Don't you say Mike Jones's house? Or can I alos say Mike Jones' house?

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello K.,

I would take "Britney Spears sister" as a typo for "Britney Spears' sister". (You can say "Spears's" too.)

"She's having some heart to" is not a phrase I've ever heard; but it's intelligible, and conveys both "she has the courage to" and "she is good-hearted enough to". It could well be the speaker's own coinage, or the result of a mis-edit.

"Having an abortion" would be the usual form, except in a telegram.

It looks like it may have been written in haste.

(Not that my ears are American.)

MrP

Marius Hancu · Answer

>"Britney Spears' sister". (You can say "Spears's" too.)

I agree with MrP here.

Cool Breeze · Answer

KooyeenAnyway, I'm not sure I'm right, because I just looked for some video about that, on Youtube, because I wanted to "hear" it. It turned out on CBS they said "Britney Spears sister", not "Spears's".

Hi Kooyeen

You may be interested in what Otto Jespersen says about the genitive in his Essentials of English Grammar:

"While we have the full genitive in James's wife, St James's Park, Keats's poems, Chamber's Journal, the ending is left out in other names - chieflly classical - ending in a sibilant:

He has done Hercules' share.
St Agnes' eve.
Pears' soap.

Note especially for conscience' sake, for goodness' sake (on account of the following s); before sake the s is also sometimes left out, even if the word does not in itself end in s: for brevity sake, for fashion sake."

Had there been a language academy in England in days gone by, it might have tried to get rid of some of the above in its efforts to streamline the grammar. People don't always take kindly to what a language academy suggests, though. Genitives like Britney Spears' sister are more common in AmE than BrE.

Cheers
CB

BarbaraPA · Answer

In one of the weirder sections of the AP Stylebook, it talks about using that 's at the end of words that end in S (not the classical names of Moses, Hercules, etc.) except when the word that followed started with an S as well. So Britney Spears's brother but Spears' sister. Frankly, that one ends up making half your stuff look like you've made a typo.

As with most matters of style, the rule of consistency beats any other rules (except clarity) and when something has exceptions like that, it just ends up looking like a jumble.

And what about their mother? The Spearses' mother? These plural-possessive-ending-in-S nouns seem to have half a dozen "correct" ways of writing them.

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

What do you expect, she's Britney Spears sister.

Apart from the 'genitive' consideration, I'd expect this to be written as What do you expect? She's . . .'

As a wild generalization, I wouldn't necessarily expect people who are interested in Britney's sister's pregnancy to be greatly concerned about correct English grammar.

Best wishes, Clive

Britney Spears

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions