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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Possessive of singular proper name?

There once was a cat called Gribbon Yellow. I bought a farm and decided to call it Gribbon Yellow's Farm. What should I write on the gate sign? Gribbon Yellows Farm, or Gribbon Yellow's Farm? Bear in mind that the bank, the tax office etc. all already have it down as Gribbon Yellows Farm because, their computers won't accept the apostrophe.
  

Top answer

All the words about the name being that of a cat cat and the tax office computers are irrelevant. If the farm belongs to Gribbon Yellow,it is Gribbon Yellow's Farm. If it's yours and you want to call it Gribbon Yellow's Farm, that's what goes on the sign.

— Fivejedjon

  • All the words about the name being that of a cat cat and the tax office computers are irrelevant.
  • If the farm belongs to Gribbon Yellow,it is Gribbon Yellow's Farm.
  • If it's yours and you want to call it Gribbon Yellow's Farm, that's what goes on the sign.
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3 Answers
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All the words about the name being that of a cat cat and the tax office computers are irrelevant. If the farm belongs to Gribbon Yellow,it is Gribbon Yellow's Farm. If it's yours and you want to call it Gribbon Yellow's Farm, that's what goes on the sign.
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Thank you, I agree. My friend is insistent that that the apostrophe is incorrect. She maintains that it looks silly and it doesn't matter if the grammar is incorrect. I maintain it does matter, and that if one is running a business you're making yourself look incompetent and stupid by misusing the grammar on the signage and stationery. Analogous to a chip shop owner saying "I run some chippy's". A
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Whose farm is it? Let the owner decide. So many people misuse apostrophes, that few will notice an incorrect form, and fewer still will worry about it.
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