Dear Nancy:   Two defense attorneys objected to the introduction of a document. The judge says to plaintiff's attorney, “You have [counsels'/counsel's] objections.” I'm not sure whether to transcribe it as a singular possessive or plural possessive. I am inclined to go with plural possessive, You would have counsels' objections, but counsel is already plural, like children, so I'm thinking I need to transcribe it as counsel's. I can't decide and I need your opinion.
Signed, In Conflict with Myself

Dear In Conflict with Myself:    Counsel is both a singular and plural noun (unlike children which is always plural.)  More like sheep.  You can have a sheep or many sheep.  So a wolf in sheep's clothing is the same construction as many wolves in [many] sheep's clothing.  Therefore, your first choice, counsel's objections, would be grammatically correct. 

But since this is an advice column, remember, if counsel (singular) is a wolf, his objections will have some teeth.  And if counsel are sheep (plural), the objections probably make for a baaaaad argument.  BUT, if counsel's a fox and he's single … well, you get the point!! 

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Dear Nancy:   Okay, is it nurses' notes, nurses notes, nurse's notes, nurses note, nurse's station nurses' station, nurses station.  Obviously, in an ongoing case, sometimes they are referring to one nurse, sometimes two, is it always plural possessive?  I am trying to stay consistent throughout lots of depos and I am confusing myself, I think.
Signed, Susan V.

Dear Susan V.:   You have touched upon one of the transcript items that have always driven me crazy!  So I feel your pain.  I once made a decision that if I didn't know the answer to a grammatical question, the lawyers most certainly didn't know.  And then the flip side of that coin:  If you don't have a rule, make up a rule that makes sense and apply it consistently.  I dunno, probably makes me sound a little nuts, I think.

But here's the rule I've adopted:  Use nurse's notes, since only one nurse can write at a time; use nurses' station, because more than one nurse sits there.  I'm not sure that is an exact and perfect answer, but it's the one I've used.  This kind of thing can give you a headache, can't it?  Time to go nurse my headache with a glass of wine!

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Dear Nancy:  I know direct quotes begin with a comma and cap, as in:        

Q. You say here, "Form follows function." What do you do when your witness or attorney insists on saying the word "that" where it doesn't belong, preceding a direct quote, as in:       

Q.   You say here that form follows function. In this case it is in fact a direct quote, phrased incorrectly. 

Would you leave out the commas and the cap?  Would you transcribe it as: You say here that, "Form follows function."    

Or would you transcribe it as: You say here that "form follows function." Leaving out the offending "that" isn't an option since we're using VideoSynch all the time.
Signed, It's Always Something

Dear It's Always Something:   I went to an excellent seminar recently where our speaker spoke about grammar rules.  She reminded us that grammar books were written with the writer in mind, not the speaker.  The grammar book would tell you to leave out the offending “that.”  As you say, not an option – and you're right. 

It is oftentimes hard to find a rule to apply to verbatim testimony.  So what's a reporter to do?  I say, know the rule (you clearly do), apply a solution when you can't apply the rule, and apply the solution consistently.  Personally, I would use your second choice: You say here that “form follows function.”  And then expect to get several differing opinions from reporters, proofreaders, and grammar teachers!

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Dear Nancy:  My proofreader and I are at odds. Can you help us with a punctuation question? Usually, when you have a question that ends in "is that true", it's set off by a semi-colon.  When "is that true" is in the middle of the question, it is supposed to be in commas, correct?

For example, say the question was, "You were in the house is that true on the day of the incident?" Which is it?

A)  You were in the house; is that true, on the day of the incident?

B)   You were in the house, is that true, on the day of the incident?

I think it's B, but my proofreader always sends it back as A.  I never change it though, so I hope I'm right. Signed, The Odd Squad.

Dear The Odd Squad:  Use commas in the middle of a sentence. Reporter wins! Proofreader required to attend summer Comma School. Dontcha just love it? Who else in the world gets worked up over commas?

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Dear Nancy:  I never know when to hyphenate. Can you explain it so my head stops hurting?
Signed, Head Hurting from Hyphens.

Dear Head Hurting from Hyphens:  Hmmm, how to help her hunt for hyphen happiness. I can play the alliteration game too! I'm so cool.

Here are some examples of easy (no hyphens) sentences and hard (with hyphens) sentences. Maybe contrasting the two will help. Have heart, and I hope your hurt head is healed by my hyphen helpers.

1. She drove a pink car. One adjective, pink, modifying the noun car.

2. It was a fast, pink car. Two different adjectives, fast and pink, modifying the noun car.

3. It was a hot-pink car. Two different words used to form a single adjective, hot-pink, need to be hyphenated.

4. The red was a fire engine red. No hyphen needed because fire engine is one thing, even though that one thing is described in two words. It is in essence the same as example 1.

5. There was a red, hot sun in the sky. Same as example 2.

6. She wore hot-red lipstick. Same as example 3.

7. It was a two-story home. Same as example 3.

8. He was sent for drug testing. Same as example 1.

9. The employer was a drug-testing maniac. Same as example 3.

10. He was in a drug-induced coma. Same as example 3.

11. It was served in an ice-cold mug. Same as example 3.

12. I need a new ice cream scooper. Same as example 4.

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