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About Ted Nesbitt
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I am the bibliographic instruction and reference librarian at a public college. Some members of the English department recommend me to their students. I offer assistance in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph development. My master`s thesis concerns William Faulkner`s tragic novels. I formerly taught advanced placement English at two schools in the Philadelphia area.

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General Writing and Grammar Help - Punctuation and is it plural?

Expert: Ted Nesbitt - 11/4/2009

Question

The patient states: "The VA still sends me veterans’ mail but I ain’t no veteran."

veterans' mail
veteran's mail
veterans mail

Is veterans plural or considered one group? How should this be punctuated?

Thanks for your input.

Answer
Maggie:

The implication is that all the mail sent by the VA is for veterans -- plural. The Veterans Administration DOES send a great deal of mail TO veterans. So the correct punctuation is the plural form: veterans' mail.

It would be illogical for the VA to send a mailing to just ONE veteran, unless, of course, the patient is referring to one particular letter, which he just doesn't seem to be stating.

Go with veterans' mail.

Ted Nesbitt

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