Worlds away
Is it Worlds or World’s?
Answer: it’s World’s.
Worlds is the plural of world, and there is only one world, at least when it comes to the World Championship.
“World’s” is possessive, as in “Championship of the World.”
Since it’s the championship of one world, it’s World’s. If it were the championship of two worlds, it would be Worlds’.
Just like “Field Marshal” is correct, and not “Field Marshall”; and there is no space between Scottish and Power in ScottishPower; and Dunn is “Alastair,” Henderson is “Alasdair,” and McLaren is “Alisdair,” it should be “World’s.”
It isn’t Worlds, it’s World’s.
Oh, and it’s pipes|drums, pronounced “pipes-drums,” not “pipes and drums.”
Their. Thats better, isnt it?
This is a good clarification. Now… is it pipeband or pipe band?
Actually, it’s said “pipeBAHnd”. The RSPBA pronounces it thus, and therefore so shall we all.
Actually it’s there not their and it’s that’s not thats and isn’t not isnt although it is possible you’ve written it like that to get the anal retentives upset. I’m neither anal nor (not or) upset
It’s pipe band, Marcus — so far. Maybe one day Oxford will declare it one word. Perhaps the words could or should be hyphenated, but “band” on its own makes sense, so that’s debatable.
Neill — you must have been ejicated at Cambridge. Cant get nuffin passed you!
Language and punctuation conventions are continually evolving not dissimilar to traditional music. Just dropped a double negative – a grammatical mistake for my 7th grade English teacher or added emphasis for Bill Shakespeare.
Cormac McCarthy would write Worlds. His words: James Joyce is a good model for punctuation. He keeps it to an absolute minimum. There is no reason to blot the page up with weird little marks. If you write properly you shouldnt have to punctuate…I believe in periods and capitals and the occasional comma.
e e cummings? capitals, please. Donald MacLeod or his publisher often put full stops after the tune title. and the composer. and the tune type. More than just the periodic period to be sure.
World’s, worlds? Alternate settings to the same tune? Just make sure to declare your setting to the bench before you begin. Today I’ll be using punctuation ala Chaucer. Another with a predilection for nothing more than periods. Include a copy in your sporran.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
Excellent. But isn’t it “alternative”?
As I discussed with a friend who asked for feedback to his writing, grammar and syntax are a lot like gracenotes and embellishments. G.S. McLenann intended that you play *those* gracenotes in “Alick C. MacGregor.” They serve a specific purpose and they communicate a specific musical meaning that he intended. Sure, you can change them, but it will diminish the accuracy of what he intended. Joyce’s *Finnegan’s Wake*, because of its riverrun structure, is inaccessible, if not unreadable. To most, *Ulysses* is not worth the effort. “The Dead” – with all its good grammar and accurate communication of meaning — gets the job done.
You can fantasize that there are multiple worlds, Nick or Cormac. But there’s only one, and the championship is of it, thus World’s.
Word.
There are multiple championships at the Worlds; if we wanted to be pedantic, it should be Worlds’.
Apostrophes: pointless and stupid, since, well, for’ever.
Incorrect. There are multiple championships, not multiple worlds. Championships is already plural, as in “World Championships.” Championship of the World, or “World’s.” Also, to my mind there are only two World Champions: Grade 1 and Juvenile. These are the top prizes for the overall pipe band category and the overall 18 and younger category. Those bands that win other grades have won their grade at the World Championships. They’re not “World Champions,” since those titles should be reserved for only Grade 1 and Juvenile. Still terrific accomplishments, of course.