0

Which would be the best way to correct this sentence?

  • "An adjustments been made to your account."

Is it correct to add an apostrophe ("an adjustment's been made")? Or should the long version be used instead ("an adjustment has been")?

For context, this text will be going into an automated email.

3
  • 5
    I would stick to formal English for such a message: "An adjustment has been made to your account."
    – Mick
    Commented Dec 19, 2016 at 20:13
  • 4
    In informal speech (whether spoken or transcribed) it would be common to say "An adjustment's been made", but "An adjustment has been made" should be used in formal/official communications.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 19, 2016 at 20:25
  • And there's always the option of specifying the person or entity that did the adjusting: "X has adjusted your account." This remains a valid option even if you choose to adopt the institutional "we": "We have adjusted your account."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Dec 20, 2016 at 3:45

1 Answer 1

2

To answer your first question, if you choose to use a contraction, the apostrophe is obligatory, not merely correct.

An adjustment's been made to your account.

To answer your second question, you should probably use the "long version" anyway.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.