Possessive 's

Question

Hi group,I hope someone can help me with the following:1) "General Motor's car" or "General Motors' car"?2) "KLS's car" or KLS' car"?Which ones are correct?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi group, I hope someone can help me with the following: 1) "General Motor's car" or "General Motors' car"? 2) "KLS's car" or KLS' car"? Which ones are correct?[/nq]
The name of the company is "General Motors" which would take possessive form of a plural, thus: "General Motors' car." However, it is more common to use "General Motors" as an attributive: "General Motors car."

I am unfamiliar with "KLS." Note the curious situation that some possessive words pronounced with two sibilants at the end may be spelled without the second sibilant. For example, I have seen in a closed captioned television program the expression "Henry Clemens' death" pronounced the same as "Henry Clemens's death" (and I myself would prefer the spelling with the apostrophe-s). So just because you see "KLS' car" doesn't mean that it is not pronounced "KLS's car." If KLS is a company, then the attributive form is more likely: "KLS car."

Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Hi group, I hope someone can help me with the following: 1) "General Motor's car" or "General Motors' car"?[/nq]
Mistake. I meant: 1) "General Motors's car" or "General Motors' car"?
[nq:2]2) "KLS's car" or KLS' car"? Which ones are correct?[/nq]
[nq:1]The name of the company is "General Motors" which would take possessiveform of a plural, thus: "General Motors' car." However, it is more common touse "General Motors" as an attributive: "General Motors car."[/nq]
Thanks. Is this for the singular form? I must say it seems odd to me. In my mother tounge, Swedish, we use the possessive form like this: "the mans car", i.e. with no ' unlike in English. So I am always used to s without the ' being a plural and non-possessive form only in English.
[nq:1]I am unfamiliar with "KLS."[/nq]
KLS is a company.
[nq:1]Note the curious situation that some possessive words pronounced with two sibilants at the end may be spelled without the ... it is not pronounced "KLS's car." If KLS is a company, then the attributive form is more likely: "KLS car."[/nq]
Thanks for your help!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Mistake. I meant: 1) "General Motors's car" or "General Motors' car"?[/nq]
The car doesn't belong to General Motors. It was made by General Motors. If "General Motors' car.." is written, then it means that car belongs to the company. If "The General Motors car is that man's car." is written, then the car belonging to the man was made by General Motors.
"Motors" happens to end in an "s". Change the make to Ford, and it's easier to understand: "The Ford car is .." and "The Ford car is that man's car."

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The car doesn't belong to General Motors. It was made by General Motors. If "General Motors' car.." is written, then ... Motors car is that man's car." is written, then the car belonging to the man was made by General Motors.[/nq]
Sorry I've chosen a bad example (as the company makes cars). If we replace "car" with "house" which of the three would be correct (singular possessive):

1) General Motors's house
2) General Motors' house
3) General Motors house

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In my mother tounge, Swedish, we use the possessive form like this: "the mans car", i.e. with no ' unlike in English.[/nq]
Superb! Heaven! When can I go?
Can we all go?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Hi group, I hope someone can help me with the ... 2) "KLS's car" or KLS' car"? Which ones are correct?[/nq]
[nq:1]The name of the company is "General Motors" which would take possessive form of a plural, thus: "General Motors' car." However, it is more common to use "General Motors" as an attributive: "General Motors car."[/nq]
Yes. Like a Ford Mustang or Chevy truck.
[nq:1]I am unfamiliar with "KLS." Note the curious situation that some possessive words pronounced with two sibilants at the end ... spelling with the apostrophe-s). So just because you see "KLS' car" doesn't mean that it is not pronounced "KLS's car."[/nq]
I thought writing and spelling were created after speech in order to record what is said, or would be said. I agree that they should included the 's and not doing so seems like a wierd plot to make us mispronounce things.
[nq:1]If KLS is a company, then the attributive form is more likely: "KLS car."[/nq]
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]The car doesn't belong to General Motors. It was made ... car belonging to the man was made by General Motors.[/nq]
[nq:1]Sorry I've chosen a bad example (as the company makes cars). If we replace "car" with "house" which of the three would be correct (singular possessive): 1) General Motors's house 2) General Motors' house 3) General Motors house[/nq]
This is not the best example either because America is full of places like the Poe House, the Babe Ruth House, the Borinstein Home for the Aged, Carnegie Hall, etc.
Better yet might be to change house to factory. No, that doesn't work either because there is the Remington factory, the Ford factory, etc.

Better yet, how about Debbie Reynolds's car? This is certainly what I would write, and how I would say it. Referring to the car she drives and owns or leases**. (There is some GM SUV that is named after a person, but that would be different.)
If it were the King James' Bible, I gather they never include or pronounce the second s. And some people do the same thing in writing with a couple other nouns, or I think a lot of other nouns. But I don't know if anyone would do that in this case. I think it would be very misleading to say Debbie Reynolds' car, because listeners would think her name was Reynold.
But people who slur their words a lot might make it sound like that even if they have in mind Reynolds's. I too might end up pronouncing it Reynolds.s. Like one s twice as long as normal with a tiny partial pause in the middle.
**When I was in Guatamala, I referred to "my bank" and the 13 year old girl I was talking to giggled. I correctly deduced that in Spanish (and maybe in her Indian language), people don't use possessives much or at all for things they don't own. How is this in Swedish?
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Better yet, how about Debbie Reynolds's car? This is certainly what I would write, and how I would say it.[/nq]
Thank you. It would some more natural to me as well.
[nq:1]**When I was in Guatamala, I referred to "my bank" and the 13 year old girl I was talking to ... Indian language), people don't use possessives much or at all for things they don't own. How is this in Swedish?[/nq]
We use possessives pretty much the same way as in English. Except we only use s and not 's for possessives, that is what is causing some confusion for me. But I think I've managed to get it through my thick skull now :-) Thank you!

Usenet · Answer

It has been reported in alt.english.usage or alt.usage.english or both that some major style guide I don't remember which one recommends the style in which the spelling does not always match the pronunciation.
[nq:2]If KLS is a company, then the attributive form is more likely: "KLS car."[/nq]
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

Usenet · Answer

I just realized that the subject line has a space between the second "e" and the apostrophe, so that it should be read "possessive apostrophe ess." All this time I thought it was a deliberate joke on the part of the original poster, namely, "Possessive's."

Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

Possessive 's

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