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MrGuedes Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Possessives: Proper nouns ending in -s
Hello, guys!
Today, I have a question that's been haunting me for years!
No, serious, I've had this question for years.
How do you make the possessives of proper nouns that end in -s? (For example, James, Chris, Thomas, Silas, Judas, Augustus, ...) Do you just add an apostrophe ('), or an apostrophe and an S ('s)?
If I'm not wrong, I learnt at school that you would add an apostrophe and an S ('s) for all proper nouns, even those already ending in -s. That simple. But then I was confused when I often saw, for example, the possessive for Jesus spelt just Jesus', with no final S.
I didn't care much about it at the time, but now I've started to wonder again...
I found an article (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe) at the Oxford Dictionaries website that states the following:
With personal names that end in -s: add an apostrophe plus s when you would naturally pronounce an extra s if you said the word out loud:
He joined Charles’s army in 1642.
Dickens's novels provide a wonderful insight into Victorian England.
Thomas's brother was injured in the accident.
Note that there are some exceptions to this rule, especially in names of places or organizations, for example:
St Thomas’ Hospital
If you aren’t sure about how to spell a name, look it up in an official place such as the organization’s website.
With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s:
The court dismissed Bridges' appeal.
Connors' finest performance was in 1991.
Today, I have a question that's been haunting me for years!
No, serious, I've had this question for years.How do you make the possessives of proper nouns that end in -s? (For example, James, Chris, Thomas, Silas, Judas, Augustus, ...) Do you just add an apostrophe ('), or an apostrophe and an S ('s)?
If I'm not wrong, I learnt at school that you would add an apostrophe and an S ('s) for all proper nouns, even those already ending in -s. That simple. But then I was confused when I often saw, for example, the possessive for Jesus spelt just Jesus', with no final S.
I didn't care much about it at the time, but now I've started to wonder again...
I found an article (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe) at the Oxford Dictionaries website that states the following:
With personal names that end in -s: add an apostrophe plus s when you would naturally pronounce an extra s if you said the word out loud:
He joined Charles’s army in 1642.
Dickens's novels provide a wonderful insight into Victorian England.
Thomas's brother was injured in the accident.
Note that there are some exceptions to this rule, especially in names of places or organizations, for example:
St Thomas’ Hospital
If you aren’t sure about how to spell a name, look it up in an official place such as the organization’s website.
With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s:
The court dismissed Bridges' appeal.
Connors' finest performance was in 1991.
Top answer
htm In cases of prominent historical or religious figures, there is usually an agreed form.
- htm In cases of prominent historical or religious figures, there is usually an agreed form.
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5 Answers
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Here is another discussion:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm
In cases of prominent historical or religious figures, there is usually an agreed form.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm
In cases of prominent historical or religious figures, there is usually an agreed form.
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Hmm... So, apparently, there isn't a specific rule, and it is still a subject in dispute, am I right? In school, I was taught always to add the S. Maybe I will keep doing it... Thanks!
By the way, the final part of my post appears to have failed to be actually posted. It's not the first time that parts of my message fail to appear. I think there's a problem with this website.
By the way, the final part of my post appears to have failed to be actually posted. It's not the first time that parts of my message fail to appear. I think there's a problem with this website.
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MrGuedesthe final part of my post appears to have failed to be actually posted. It's not the first time that parts of my message fail to appear. I think there's a problem with this website.I have never had such a problem, and I post here frequently.
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Mister MicawberI have never had such a problem, and I post here frequently.I haven't posted in months, but—now that I think about it—I think that, when this sort of thing happens, it's usually after I've written something (normally a whole paragraph) in italics. This seems to be the case now as well. It's usually not critical, but it could be. I had definitel
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It's happened to me a couple of times in the last month or so. I don't recall that I have been using italics.
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