To show possession for a noun that is singular and does not end in s, add s joe s lunch. Sep 07, 2010 and i doubt it needs to be resolved, at least at the present. How to make a name that ends with an s possessive by karen. The two foremost american authorities on written english, the chicago manual of style cmos and the associated press stylebook ap, have irreconcilable policies. Dec 27, 2019 the question of inanimate nouns and the possessive s is a good reminder thatas with so many questions of style writers must eventually learn not only to follow the lead of grammarians and style experts but also to trust their own instincts. Therefore, in the example above, the correct usage would be adams s 20 work. When you are using a common noun ending in s that is possessive, do you use apostrophes or just an apostrophe. Singular nouns ending in s can also form a possessive regularly by adding s, as in charles s. And how you indicate possession will depend on the type of word youre using. Singular common nouns ending in s or an s sound, followed by a word beginning with s. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style online.
Although the ms word grammar wants me to write the above, i tend to want to hear brad s and jen s divorce. However, i would hasten to stress that some style guides do things differently. Formation of possessive construction nouns and noun phrases. When indicating possession, should an apostrophe come before or after the s.
Singular common nouns ending in s are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an s. Apr 03, 2020 after a name ending in s, you may add just an apostrophe or an apostrophe and another s to form the possessive. It depends on who you ask, and it depends on the kind of noun in question. The chicago manual of style recommends this style, while stating that adding just an apostrophe e. To add even more confusion, ap style also has an exception if the word following the possessive starts with an s, stating that in those cases only the apostrophe should be added. For possessives of singular common nouns ending in s, add s. For singular common nouns that end in s, both ap and chicago styles use apostrophes.
It looks like all the main style guides, with the exception of the ap s, recommend using the s. In other style guides, chris takes an apostrophe and an s. Our companys acronym is singular and ends in an s, just like cmos. For proper names that already have an apostrophe, like lowes, you dont need to add anything to make them possessive. Mary norriss thoughts on pesky possessives the new yorker. There are various guidelines for apostrophes, but only three rules that everyone agrees on. Lisa s essay england s navy my brother s girlfriend wittgenstein s last book. Some guides have their own rules for some very specific apostrophe conundrums, like mr. Sep 20, 2017 apostrophes are used to show possession.
Burns s report, james s profession, ross s job, louis s supervisor. The chicago manual of style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the possessive. Mar 29, 2021 proper nouns ending in s are made possessive by adding an apostrophe only. Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. Aug 12, 2019 in ap style, you use a lone apostrophe to make singular nouns and names that end with s possessive, and in chicago style, most of the time you add an apostrophe and an s, with a few rare exceptions.
Punctuation, possessives, pithiness 100 years on, the elements of style holds sway over generations of writers and editors, despite its sporadic contradictions to the goto reference for modern journalists. Ap rules that proper names such as chris, agnes, and russ take only an apostrophe, like these examples. Forming possessives of words ending in s or an s sound by karen yin 9 comments im going to focus on the difference between how the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style handle possessives for words ending in s or an s sound. For singular proper names ending in s, ap style is to add only an apostrophe to make them possessive. Here are some authorities which, thankfully, disagree with the apa style guide.
Tips on avoiding common apostrophe errors times union. An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like esther s family or janet s cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble. Yet both these influential styles agree there s no. So it puzzles me that the ap stylebook, the most influential guide for journalists, argues that a simple apostrophe suffices after proper nouns ending in s.
But just between you and me, you can use this shootfromthehip style in personal email, where you are also free to forgo capitalization completely. Cmos uses plural possessive for presidents day, while ap style writes presidents day. However, if the noun ends in the letter s and the following noun begins with an s, add an apostrophe only. An apostrophic dilemma marquette university law school. Jul 31, 1988 the associated press stylebook and libel manual says this about forming the possessive of a singular proper name ending in s. To form a possessive plural, in most cases, add an apostrophe after the s. Jun 20, 20 per apa style, the answer is that the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, even when the name ends in s see p. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. If the noun is plural and ends in s, add just an apostrophe the leaves bright colors. Confusing possessives revisited the blue book of grammar. One book includes a poster showing shapes circle, square, triangle.
In ap style, if a proper noun ends in s or an s sound, add an apostrophe only. The chicago manual of style and apa publication manual recommend an additional s after the apostrophe. But the top style guides used by most professional writers in the u. One book includes a poster showing shapes circle, square, triang. Proper nouns ending in s are made possessive by adding an apostrophe only.
Here, according to some of the bestknown language guides, are examples of correctly formed possessives of singular proper names ending in s. The style that many of us are accustomed tosimply adding an apostrophe after the s e. Ap style also has rules for how to use possessive apostrophes when a word ends in s. The chicago manual of style and the associated press stylebook list the following holidays as singular possessives. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Initially an internal document used by those who worked for the associated press wire service, the ap stylebook became publicly available in the early 1950s in a formal edition used by journalists and. Sep 01, 20 ap the witness s story did not match the events recorded on tape. Stilman s 2004 grammatically correct, writer s digest books, 2004. Any possessive singular noun takes s, even if the noun ends in s. If a word ends in s, ch, or z, how do you make it plural. How to make a name that ends with an s possessive by. However, ap style is to omit the second s and just put an apostrophe at the end of the word. Couples retreat might be plural possessive whereas couple s massage is often singular possessive.
Apostrophes after words ending in s grammar rules 101. She wants to know why boss s has an apostrophe and an s but chris has only an apostrophe the truth is that chris takes just an apostrophe only if you follow the rules in the the associated press stylebook. Ap style has special rules for possessive apostrophes when a word ends in s. An apostrophe and s are generally used with personal names ending in an s, x, or z sound but an apostrophe alone may be used in cases where an additional s would cause difficulty in pronunciation, typically after longer names that are not accented on the last or penultimate syllable. For plural nouns ending in s, you should add only an apostrophe. Associated press style, used by most newspapers, is slightly different. Some stylebooks recommend a single apostrophe for biblical or classical names like jesus and achilles, but s for names like james and charles. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style. In the end, the possessive apostrophe s following a sibilant is a matter of personal preference and professional judgment. According to the ap style book, the one time when you dont add a trailing s is. After a name ending in s, you may add just an apostrophe or an apostrophe and another s to form the possessive. Paula, an executive assistant, wrote to ask me to continue the discussion of apostrophes. Per apa style, the answer is that the possessive of a singular name is. Carloss, louiss any possessive plural nouns takes s ex.
Chris exam scores were higher than any other students. So our first tough issuehow to make words that end with s possessive doesnt actually have an answer. The possessive form of an english noun, or more generally a noun phrase, is made by suffixing a morpheme which is represented orthographically as s the letter s preceded by an apostrophe, and is pronounced in the same way as the regular english plural ending e s. Aug 11, 2014 for certain terms, like teachers college, style guides have specific rules. The chicago manual of style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the possessive of biblical or classical names. But then, as editors of style guides do, the editors of the chicago manual of style decided to change this rule so all names that end in s would take an apostrophe followed by another s to form the possessive. If a singular proper noun a name ends in s, chicago and ap handle apostrophes differently. Ap reporters write fast, but their stylebook moves slow. The associated press stylebook recommends the s s style for nouns other than proper. Dec 19, 2019 for singular proper names ending in s, ap style is to add only an apostrophe to make them possessive. See, for example, garner s modern american usage at page 624. If the noun is plural but does not end in s, add s the people s choice.
This ultimately comes down to the type of noun and whether it is singular or plural. Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. Mother s day, father s day, new year s eve, new year s day, st. Please note that the associated press stylebook recommends using an apostrophe s to make uppercase and lowercase letters plural. Singular common nouns for singular common nouns, ap style suggests adding an apostrophe followed by a final s e. Roy peter clark settles the possessive apostrophe debate. Possessives of nouns ending in s grammar underground with. Proper names ending in letter s add an apostrophe and another s, even if you dont pronounce the final s in the noun. Possessives of nouns ending in s grammar underground.
Oct 30, 2019 the trouble is that we pronounce things differently. To form a possessive construction from a singular common noun, add an apostrophe and the letter s. In general, treat acronyms and initialisms as if they were words. Let s take a look at some of the various approaches for this possessive. Apostrophe s rules for possession, contractions, and plurals. For singular nouns and irregular plurals those not ending in s, you should add s to the end of the word. If the plural of a noun does not end in s, add an s to form the possessive. According to associated press style, theyre all correct from the lonely apostrophe after james to the apostrophe plus s after max to the two different ways of forming the possessive of the word. Ap prefers adding only an apostrophe charles book, whereas cmos recommends adding s charles s book. Jun 20, 2020 presidents day is correct without an apostrophe in ap style but takes an apostrophe after the s in chicago editing style. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Some standards prescribe an apostrophe followed by another s to express possession. The truth is that chris takes just an apostrophe only if you follow the rules in the the associated press stylebook.
Ive always followed the prescription of the elements of style for making a possessive from a proper name ending in s. Descartes theories, dickens novels, kansas schools. The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. Chris photograph appears on page 1 of the business. When i came to the court in 1987, the prevailing rule for a regular plural possessive was simply to add an apostrophe after the words final s. Sep 04, 2015 according to associated press style, theyre all correct from the lonely apostrophe after james to the apostrophe plus s after max to the two different ways of forming the possessive of the word. Dec 11, 2019 use an apostrophe if a measurement precedes a noun, like two weeks vacation, but it isnt needed if the measurement precedes an adjective, like two months pregnant.
I want to write it with an apostrophe s when needing possession, but others want to use only the. For example, the associated press style book suggests that if the following word begins in s, you dont need to include an s after the apostrophe, for example. Strunk w and white eb 2000 the elements of style, 4th edn, longman, new york. Also i should mention that i did not quote chicago s entire recommendation.
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