Is it Mr Jones's briefcase or Mr Jones' briefcase?

Question

I know it is "mens' hats" but how about a persons name?

Yoong Liat · Accepted Answer

AnonymousI know it is "mens' hats" but how about a persons name?
It should be men's hats and Jones's briefcase.

Anonymous · Answer

Oops, thats embrassing!

Thank you

Yoong Liat · Answer

AnonymousOops, thats embrassing!

Thank you

One minor point: embarrassing

Tanit · Answer

Mr Jones's briefcase or Mr Jones' briefcase?
During my high school, I was taught to use the second one. Later, I learnt that both are acceptable.

[url=http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm] Source 1[/url]:
Some writers will say that the -s after Charles' is not necessary and that adding only the apostrophe (Charles' car) will suffice to show possession. Consistency is the key here: if you choose not to add the -s after a noun that already ends in s, do so consistently throughout your text. William Strunk's Elements of Style recommends adding the 's ... You will find that some nouns, especially proper nouns, especially when there are other -s and -z sounds involved, turn into clumsy beasts when you add another s: "That's old Mrs. Chambers's estate." In that case, you're better off with "Mrs. Chambers' estate."

[url=http://www.englishgrammartutor.com/The%20Apostrophe.htm] Source 2[/url]:
Genitive relationships are marked as usual in surnames: the Smiths’ dog. Oddly enough, this practice is sometimes suspended when a surname ends in s. The relationship between people called `Jones' and the dog they own is often expressed thus: the Jones’ dog. This is hardly fair: Why make light of someone's surname just because it happens to end with an s? Surely this is the Jones's due: the Jones’s dog.
On the other hand, convention requires that we place only an apostrophe after the s of antique names that end in s: Euripides’ beard, Hercules’ strength.

The Chicago Manual of Style (cited [url=http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/grammar/Apostro3.html]here[/url]):
How to form the possessive of polysllabic personal names ending with the sound of "s" or "z" probably occasions more dissension among writers and editors than any other orthographic matter open to disagreement. Some espouse the rule that the possessive of all such names should be formed by the addition of an apostrophe only. Such a rule would outlaw spellings like "Dylan Thomas's poetry," "Roy Harris's composition," and "Maria Callas's performance" in favor of "Thomas'," "Harris'," and "Callas'," which would not commend themselves to many. Other writers and editors simply abandon the attempt to define in precise phonic or orthographic terms the class of polysyllabic names to which only the apostrophe should be attached and follow a more pragmatic rule. In essence this is, "If it ends with a z sound, treat it like a plural; if it ends with an s sound treat it like a singular." Thus they would write "Dickens', Hopkins', Williams'," but also "Harris's, Thomas's, Callas's, Angus's, Willis's," and the like.

See also:
http://www.webgrammar.com/grammartips.html#apostrophe-s

Anonymous · Answer

You are incorrect.  It it mens hats and Jones' briefcase.

Anonymous · Answer

Re Mens or Men's. The apostrophe comes after the noun:
Man... a man's hat; men (unusual plural...men)... the men's room;
Girl... a girl's hat; girls (usual plural...girls)...the girls' room.

Grammarfreak · Answer

Anonymous Mens

There is no such thing. It is "men's" cologne.

Anonymous · Answer

Both Mr Jones's briefcase and Mr Jones' briefcase are correct

Anonymous · Answer

Surely the house belongs to the Joneses (the plural of Jones). Their house is therefore the Joneses' house. Incidentally, there is a lucky veteran round here whose day is celebrated, because we often hear of Veteran's [sic] Day. If the day belongs to more than one veteran, it's Veterans' Day (and the same goes for Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day, come to that).

Anonymous · Answer

anonymous I know it is "mens' hats" but how about a persons name?

Is it Mr Jones's briefcase or Mr Jones' briefcase?

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