I would like to see people who don't know the difference between it's and its correct their semi literate postings. If you need some advice, just ask.

Good god, how did you pass your exams?

Or hyphenation.

Lol busted in 1

You would think an aspiring member of the grammar and spelling taliban would check before posting

billypop. Proper name. Should be capitalized.

Thread title. Should be "O-level English".

Epic fail. Off with his head.

With regards to hyphenation. What are the rules? Over the years I've seen people put in hyphens all over the place. Often incorrectly, as in words like Coordinate. Also. Why on earth isn't the word "to-day" hyphenated anymore? Who moves the goal posts?

Lastly, with regards to "O" Levels. Where in English do you remove part of a word, like Ordinary and replace it with a hyphen? An apostrophe, yes, as in O'Clock for "of the clock" but a hyphen? I'm not mocking (exam joke, sorry) nor suggesting FA is wrong, but I am truly wondering why and where it's O-Level? It was never written on any of the O or A papers like that from memory. Has it become that like some sort of trade name?

O-level is pointless, the hyphen is misused.
O' level follows the rule of an apostrophe standing in for something omitted but is, nonetheless, rather clumsy.
The thread title is fine and O level is fine, and that was the nomenclature ascribed to it at its inception.

If one really wanted to be so pernickety about apostrophes for abbreviations then shouldn't it be O'level's, in which the second apostrophe is not, as it might appear, the common "greengrocer's apostrophe" misused for a plural but to indicate the missing word "examination"?.

The master of pedantry has emerged from 'neath the undergrowth!

What about the spoken word, especially 'bath'?

Why do some people insist on referring to it as a 'baath', when they'd never dream of sending anything on a 'vaan' or cooling themselves with a 'faan'?

Phonetically it's more like 'barth'. The same reason why some folk travel to work on the 'buzz'. Your regional variation, innit.

It's not. It's O-level.

No, that would be "Oh, level English", shurley?

"O" on it's own in would be used in an entreating context, as in "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt". "Oh" tends to suggest surprise, etc.

If you were addressing level English directly, you might or might not use a comma. For example
"O Hamlet, speak no more!"
"O, speak to me no more!"

Both usages are admirably exemplified in one of the most beautiful passages of English conversation ever written, between Hamlet and Gertrude, in the following exchangeGertrude. O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.
Hamlet. O, throw away the worser part of it,
And live the purer with the other half[/i

Unless you're American, in which case you'd say "Oh! Carol".

Quote: tb "Compound adjective. The hyphen is essential.'" The BBC suggest compound adjectives "normally" have hyphens between them. Not as essential as you claim. www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... v224.shtml

Quote: tb "Compound adjective. The hyphen is essential.'" The BBC suggest compound adjectives "normally" have hyphens between them. Not as essential as you claim. www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... v224.shtml