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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
A possessive family man, plurally so.
My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though there is only one of me. For years I had to put up with a boss who consistently wrote internal memos that included such wording as " Chamber's report..". Other colleagues, more attentive to grammar, would write either " Chambers' report..." or " Chambers's report". I respected the grammatical ability of all these other colleagues, with the result that even I, whose name was being bandied, became confused as to which form is correct. So I ask your opinion.
The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our friends the Youngsons, i.e. Mr and Mrs Youngson. At the end of our evening yesterday, Mrs Youngson suggested that our next meeting should not be at her house, but instead
"at the Farmers' ".
By this, she meant "at the Farmers' house", the house belonging to our mutual friends, Mr and Mrs Farmer. Note the position of the apostrophe. Simple grammar for the Farmers. But I live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be
"at the Chamberses' ".
This dread does not arise because of any inhospitality on our part, since we both positively enjoy having visitors. It is a simple phobia of forming the plural of my own surname, and getting the apostrophe in the correct place. This includes the ineluctable problem of whether it is correct to refer to my family as "the Chambers" or "the Chamberses", and how to form the possessive from that base. If we are correctly referred to as "the Chambers", should we pronounce it exactly as written or should it be pronounced as if it were written "the Chamberses"?
The problem for "Chambers" is even more complex than it is for "Jones". There is no such noun as "a jone", but there is such a noun as "a chamber".
I feel that I must get this problem resolved once and for all. If I can't get this point of grammar right for my own surname, how can I possibly criticise my former boss for his " Chamber's report"? This was my boss's grammatical mistake. If his boss had also made the same error, it would have been my bosses' mistake.
Richard Chambers Leeds UK.
The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our friends the Youngsons, i.e. Mr and Mrs Youngson. At the end of our evening yesterday, Mrs Youngson suggested that our next meeting should not be at her house, but instead
"at the Farmers' ".
By this, she meant "at the Farmers' house", the house belonging to our mutual friends, Mr and Mrs Farmer. Note the position of the apostrophe. Simple grammar for the Farmers. But I live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be
"at the Chamberses' ".
This dread does not arise because of any inhospitality on our part, since we both positively enjoy having visitors. It is a simple phobia of forming the plural of my own surname, and getting the apostrophe in the correct place. This includes the ineluctable problem of whether it is correct to refer to my family as "the Chambers" or "the Chamberses", and how to form the possessive from that base. If we are correctly referred to as "the Chambers", should we pronounce it exactly as written or should it be pronounced as if it were written "the Chamberses"?
The problem for "Chambers" is even more complex than it is for "Jones". There is no such noun as "a jone", but there is such a noun as "a chamber".
I feel that I must get this problem resolved once and for all. If I can't get this point of grammar right for my own surname, how can I possibly criticise my former boss for his " Chamber's report"? This was my boss's grammatical mistake. If his boss had also made the same error, it would have been my bosses' mistake.
Richard Chambers Leeds UK.
Top answer
[nq:1]My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though there is only one of me. For years I had ... even I, whose name was being bandied, became confused as to which form is correct.
- [nq:1]My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though there is only one of me.
- For years I had ...
- even I, whose name was being bandied, became confused as to which form is correct.
- [/nq] Ros's/Ross'/Rosses' (all of which I've been faced with at some time) comment: I feel your pain.
- Whats' Charle's opinion?
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34 Answers
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[nq:1]My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though there is only one of me. For years I had ... even I, whose name was being bandied, became confused as to which form is correct. So I ask your opinion.[/nq]
Ros's/Ross'/Rosses' (all of which I've been faced with at some time) comment: I feel your pain.
Whats' Charle's opinion? Or Jes's?
Ross Howard
Ros's/Ross'/Rosses' (all of which I've been faced with at some time) comment: I feel your pain.
Whats' Charle's opinion? Or Jes's?
Ross Howard
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[nq:1]But I live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be "at the Chamberses' ".[/nq]
Fear not. There are two of you, so you two are the Chamberses. This noun is plural and ends with a Z sound, so the possessive is "Chamberses'". Anyone acquainted with the rule will come up with the same spelling.
Actually, there are conflicting rules for the singular,
Fear not. There are two of you, so you two are the Chamberses. This noun is plural and ends with a Z sound, so the possessive is "Chamberses'". Anyone acquainted with the rule will come up with the same spelling.
Actually, there are conflicting rules for the singular,
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[nq:1]My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though there is only one of me. For years I had ... even I, whose name was being bandied, became confused as to which form is correct. So I ask your opinion.[/nq]
" Chambers's report" is correct, although I don't like it any better than I like "Charles's report" or "Charles Riggs's report": two awful possibilities, nor just one, with my own
" Chambers's report" is correct, although I don't like it any better than I like "Charles's report" or "Charles Riggs's report": two awful possibilities, nor just one, with my own
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[nq:1]The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our friends the Youngsons, ... is for "Jones". There is no such noun as "a jone", but there is such a noun as "a chamber".[/nq]
What we say in this kind of case should lead what we write, so the first thing is to decide what to say, and worry later about how to spell any plural form and where to put
What we say in this kind of case should lead what we write, so the first thing is to decide what to say, and worry later about how to spell any plural form and where to put
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[nq:1] The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our ... pronounce it exactly as written or should it be pronounced as if it were written "the Chamberses"? [/nq]
Thank you for all your replies, which contradicted each other.
On re-reading what I have written here, I now feel that I was perhaps just being a whingeing Pom. I now realise th
Thank you for all your replies, which contradicted each other.
On re-reading what I have written here, I now feel that I was perhaps just being a whingeing Pom. I now realise th
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[nq:1]Thank you for all your replies, which contradicted each other. On re-reading what I have written here, I now feel ... Richouxes' ", "at the Richouxses' ", "at the Richouses' ", or some other alternative that I have not thought of?[/nq]
Since I'm the only person with that last name in this house, it hasn't come up. Nor do I play bridge...
I don't remember what my family spelled it whe
Since I'm the only person with that last name in this house, it hasn't come up. Nor do I play bridge...
I don't remember what my family spelled it whe
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[nq:1]If I were invited to a game of Bridge at Donna's place [/nq]
Why do you capitalise "bridge", Richard (you did it in your original thread-starting post, too, so I assume it's a habit rather than a slip). Is it to distinguish the card game it from the things that go over rivers? If so, would you also capitalise, say, "pool", "draughts" and "snap" to make it clear you were talking about the
Why do you capitalise "bridge", Richard (you did it in your original thread-starting post, too, so I assume it's a habit rather than a slip). Is it to distinguish the card game it from the things that go over rivers? If so, would you also capitalise, say, "pool", "draughts" and "snap" to make it clear you were talking about the
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[nq:1]The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our friends the Youngsons, ... live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be "at the Chamberses' ".[/nq]
I suppose it might have been worse, had your friends, instead of Youngson, been called Youngman - a marginally more common name (at least in my local
[nq:1]The story has recently taken a sinister turn. My wife and I occasionally play Bridge with our friends the Youngsons, ... live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be "at the Chamberses' ".[/nq]
I suppose it might have been worse, had your friends, instead of Youngson, been called Youngman - a marginally more common name (at least in my local
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[nq:2]My surname is Chambers, ending with an "s" even though ... to which form is correct. So I ask your opinion.[/nq]
[nq:1]Ros's/Ross'/Rosses' (all of which I've been faced with at some time) comment: I feel your pain. Whats' Charle's opinion? Or Jes's?[/nq]
Jess is in no doubt: it's Jess's, not Jess'. And I'm glad Richard brought up an important point: the reason why "Farmers'" doesn't
[nq:1]Ros's/Ross'/Rosses' (all of which I've been faced with at some time) comment: I feel your pain. Whats' Charle's opinion? Or Jes's?[/nq]
Jess is in no doubt: it's Jess's, not Jess'. And I'm glad Richard brought up an important point: the reason why "Farmers'" doesn't
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[nq:2]But I live in dread of the day when she suggests that the next Bridge meeeting should be "at the Chamberses' ".[/nq]
[nq:1]Fear not. There are two of you, so you two are the Chamberses. This noun is plural and ends with a Z sound, so the possessive is "Chamberses'". Anyone acquainted with the rule will come up with the same spelling.[/nq]
I agree.
There's a girl in one of my clas
[nq:1]Fear not. There are two of you, so you two are the Chamberses. This noun is plural and ends with a Z sound, so the possessive is "Chamberses'". Anyone acquainted with the rule will come up with the same spelling.[/nq]
I agree.
There's a girl in one of my clas
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