One can not see a possessive apostrophe in the spoken word, which can lead to a lot of confusion if the second S isn’t spoken. So whether you write Charles’ or Charles’s the S after the apostrophe is always said, even when it isn’t written. That gives one the impression he is talking about a person whose name is Charles Desk, rather than the desk of Charles. The reply comes back “Who’s Charles Desk?” to which the person searching for Charles’s (or Charles’) desk says “No, I am looking for Charles Desk” He is saying Charles rather than Charlesez. I have a very good example of why one should always (with a few exceptions) say Charlsez whether it is written Charles’ or Charles’s.Ī man walks into my office and says “Where’s Charles Desk?” (what he actually wants to know is where Charles’ or Charles’s desk is). If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page. We understand Lagos’s (OR Lagos’) airport handled over one million passengers last year. The bus’s steering wheel was wearing out.ĥ. The classes’ opinions were predictable according to their grade levels.ģ. We understand Lagos airport handled over one million passengers last year.ġ. The bus steering wheel was wearing out.ĥ. The classes opinions were predictable according to their grade levels.ģ. Place the apostrophe (and perhaps an s) where appropriate.ġ. Rule 2: To show plural possession of a word ending in an s or s sound, form the plural first then immediately use the apostrophe. This method explains the punctuation of for goodness’ sake. On the other hand, most people would pronounce an added s in “Jones’s,” so we’d write it as we say it: Mr. Hastings’ pen” would not pronounce an added s, we would write Mr. For example, since most people saying “Mr. One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe plus s ( ’s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.Īnother widely used technique, the one we favor, is to write the word as we would speak it. There also are a few who add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s however, this method is typically rare, and not recommended here. Some writers and editors add ’ s to every proper noun, be it Hastings’s or Jones’s. There is no right answer the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent. There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. Rule 1: Many common nouns end in the letter s ( lens, cactus, bus, etc.). This review will help to resolve some of the questions surrounding that subject. Whether to use an additional s with singular possession can still be a source of heated debate. You must not make more than one copy without our permission.Apostrophes with Words and Names Ending in s You can save one copy of the guide to disk, and print one copy out for your personal use. Plain English Campaign owns the copyright to this guide. 'It's' with an apostrophe means 'it is' or 'it has'. The word 'its', used to show possession, doesn't have an apostrophe. People in their 70s need to renew their licence every three years.Karl Benz' vehicle was the first to be driven by an internal-combustion engine.However, if it sounds better, it is acceptable to just add the apostrophe. With names or singular nouns that end in 's', 'x' or 'z', we usually add an apostrophe followed by 's'. We invited the children's parents to this event. If a plural noun doesn't end in 's', we add an apostrophe and an 's'. The companies' management must tackle this.The company's management must tackle this.(Plural - an idea a group of girls has had) In the singular, the apostrophe comes before the 's'. To show that a letter or letters are missing
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