Possessive with names ending in s grammar girl book pdf

Are you confused about how to show the plural and the possessive of certain names. In this post, well look at another apostrophe construction. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. Thats when the grammarian robert lowth decided to rename the grammatical cases in english, but before i can talk about that, i should explain what grammatical cases are in the first place.

An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like esthers family or janets cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble. Form to form the possessive, add s apostrophe s to the noun. There are a few different ways to form the possessive of a noun. We know that we add an apostrophe to show possession or ownership with nouns. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Asked in possessive nouns how do you show possession with a name ending. Grammar index possessive singular of nouns ending in s to home page. Many people would write its, in an attempt to make it possessive, but. My answer doesnt conflict, since im only addressing the matter. Rules for plural and possessive names merriamwebster. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online.

Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. By kathy sieckman, pp, plssc, acp continuing with an article that appeared in last months issue of the nals docket, we will talk specifically about using apostrophes with surnames a persons last name. The possessive pronouns are my, our, your, his, her, its, and their. Foreword by mignon fogarty grammar girl xvii introduction xix 1grammar 1 finding subjects and verbs 1 finding verbs. Although the origins of this phrase are disputed, the expression was used commonly to mean, be careful, dont make a mistake. To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first. If the word ending with s is plural, add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive.

That is my professional opinion except for the established english possessive forms of proper nouns. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. To make singular nouns possessive, just add apostrophe. But if a word isnt possessive, does it sometimes get an apostrophe anyway. The chicago manual of style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the. When you have two or more nouns that you are making into a compound possessive, add s to both nouns if they are functioning separately. Most stylebooks agree that the rule for forming the possessive of a singular noun ending in s is formed by adding s. Possessive form of barnes and the way it is pronounced lets say barnes is the name of a person. In that case, add only the apostrophe to the end of the word. Arizona, for example, is the name of a statedakota. Rules by ap stylebook, bad grammargood punctuation. The rule is easy to follow but trips up a lot of people. Of course, the problem is about the part containing the possessive. Learn how to make plural words possessive, how to make words that end in s plural, and.

I showed you the specific rules for placing this ending on a possessive noun. Johns dog, the schools mascot, her parents mistakes. One book includes a poster showing shapes circle, square, triangle. Theres also an independent form of each of these pronouns.

Forming possessives with singular names by tyler krupa. The authors of this website and the blue book of grammar and punctuation researched. How do you form the plural of a proper noun that ends in y such as murphy. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best. What if you want to show possession with a name that ends in y. Plural and possessive forms with names ending in y grammar blog. Possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone. When it comes to forming the possessive of a proper name that ends in s, guides. If the possessive involves a last name with s or z, you can add either. What is the pronunciation of the possessive words that.

Childrens plural not ending in s chriss or chris name ending in s examples of possessive nouns in a sentence. Compound possessive nouns english grammar revolution. Form the possessive of all singular nouns, even those ending in. The title of a brochure im designing is wholesale buyers guide. As a spanish term, the citys name is a singular noun, plural in form, but if we consider it.

The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. In later use, s was used for all nouns where the s sound was used for the possessive form, and when adding s to a word like love the e was no longer omitted. The 15th edition of the chicago manual of style had recommended the. I dont think that im revealing a big grammar secret by letting you know that the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. I prefer the cmos, and im glad to know that it now recommends adding s for plurals ending in s. For what its worth, ive moved my answer over here after tweaking it a bit. So with regard to acronymsinitialisms ending in s, and assuming that s is correct for the end of the word, if the initialism actually ends in an s, is there a rule for whether this should be written as s or just for proper nouns ending in s, an apostrophe by itself is generally considered correct e. For singular names ending in s, the regular genitive is usual. Mar 01, 2016 apostrophes and possessive nouns, part 2. Therefore, the plural is gillises, and the plural possessive is gillises. Our lessons offer detailed explanations along with exercises to test your knowledge.

The possessive case is now used chiefly with the names of living things. Thats how you form the possessive for names or words ending in s. Since margo and martha are working together at one business, we only add the s to the last noun, martha. Aug 12, 2019 get grammar girls take on apostrophe catastrophe. We show this ownership by adding an apostrophe and an s to the noun if the noun is a person or an animal. Youve clearly identified the three different sounds used to indicate the possessive, so yours is a good answer at that level. For questions not covered by this book, use the plural that websters new. Is the possessive apostrophe needed on buyers, or is it just wholesale buyers guide.

Jesuss or jesus prime minister of mauritiuss speech or prime minister of mauritius speech. For a detailed explanation of how to show the plural of names ending in s, ch, or z, please see apostrophes with names ending in s. Oct 09, 2016 my post from february 2015 explains the matter. There s some confusion, i think, about what to do if youve got to make someone s name possessive if their name ends in an s, for example, my friend jess.

Hello everybody, im writing because ive got a doubt about the right pronunciation of the following expression. Learn how to make plural words possessive, how to make words that end in s plural, and what to do about abbreviations. Practise your english grammar in the english classroom. America is the owner they are americas gold reserves. For a detailed explanation of how to show the plural of names ending in s, ch, or z, please see apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z.

What happens with the possessive case when its used in proper names ending in s e. And the uncertainty is often greatest when the first word is a plural ending in s. Lisas essay englands navy my brothers girlfriend wittgensteins last book. Our companys acronym is singular and ends in an s, just like cmos. To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the. Possession for words ending in s video khan academy.

David so just add an apostrophe s, and if you didnt know, now you know. Mignon fogarty better known as grammar girl, for example, prefers to leave the extra s off. Forming possessives with singular names by tyler krupa i dont think that im revealing a big grammar secret by letting you know that the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s e. Second, you still use a lone apostrophe when making place names that end in a plural ending with s possessive, like the united. With possessive pronouns such as his, hers, and ours. Academic learning centre 2 add an s to the plural forms of nouns that do not end in s.

With the addition of s or sometimes just the apostrophe, a noun can change from a simple person, place, or thing to a person, place, or thing that owns something. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smiths ferrari, and i visited the smiths house. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. David were talking about possession for names or words ending in the letter s.

Add an s to the plural forms of nouns that do not end in s. Dominant, possessive, jealous, controlling, sometimes scary but always hot. Commonly used dental abbreviations are explained in this article. Its sometimes hard to tell1 if a name is a boys name or a girl s name. Some style guides say that singular nouns ending in s sounds such as ce, x, and z may take either the apostrophe alone or s. Browse the grammar category, check our popular posts. Although it is not considered to be good english, you may add only the apostrophe words ending on unpronounced s. Mar 29, 2012 and unlike the other cases, the possessive case still exists not only for pronouns, but for almost every noun, including proper nouns and common nouns. When in presence of a possessive case after a noun ending in ss im always in doubt. Aardvarks and mothers are both in the possessive case. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. If o is preceded by a consonant, most plurals require es.

Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. The possessive case is used to express that something belongs to someone or to show a relationship between two or more people. Press style book opts for a single apostrophe for all proper names ending in s. Forming possessives with singular names apa style blog. It was riddled with misspelled words, grammar errors, including the ones. Add es for names ending in s or z and add s for everything else. Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus. I am aware of the rules, but i dont know how to apply these rules to this specific case.

American english grammar and punctuation, including the chicago manual of style. The first rulethe most important thing to remember when. The idea that there isnt has to do with a renaming that happened in the 1700s. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural, if there is one owner, add s to the singular the smiths car vs smiths car. When pronouncing a possessive name, we add the sound z to the end of the name.

If the name ends in s, like charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add s. When final s is silent as in many french names, s must of course be added in the possessive. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smith s ferrari, and i visited the smiths house. When it comes to forming the possessive of a proper name that ends in s, guides disagree. We use the word of if there is a relation between two or more things. The following are acceptable spellings for these names ending in s. The grammatically correct way to write your sentence is i want to be buzzs girl. Barness, but sometimes these nouns are treated as if they were plural nouns. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format.

See also our rules for apostrophes and the post apostrophes with words ending in s. Possessive form of barnes and the way it is pronounced. The blue book of grammar and punctuation an easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. Children s plural not ending in s chris s or chris name ending in s examples of possessive nouns in a sentence. To show the plural of a name that ends in s, ch, or z, add es. But the chicago manual of style says that forming the possessive with names ending in s is just like forming the possessive with names that dont end in s. Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. Possessive pronouns are never spelled with apostrophes. How is the possessive form of a name ending with s written. Confusingly, the s form was also used for plural noun forms.

Well, there is a possessive in expressions like two weeks notice or a year s pay. We follow the guidance of leading reference books such as the chicago manual of. Answers to questions about possessives daily writing tips. Do i have to pronounce it as a twosyllable phrase or as a threesyllable phrase. These were derived from the strong declension as ending in old english. Some celebrities2 give their children unusual names. Mar 11, 2017 mignon fogarty better known as grammar girl, for example, prefers to leave the extra s off. Jul 20, 2010 plural nouns ending ins form their possessive case by adding only an apostrophe.

Possessive singular of nouns ending in s, english grammar. You can learn anything, david out, paige paige out. However, some names, such as jesus, moses, achilles, and charles dickens. But what if the name is sanchez or church or williams rule. We show this act of possession by adding a possessive ending, typically an apostrophe.

If you have added an s to make a word plural for example, cat. But if a word isnt possessive, does it sometimes get an. I want to write it with an apostrophe s when needing possession, but others want to use. To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s. If there are multiple nouns that refer to more personsthings add s to both nouns. Plural nouns that do not end in s, form the possessive case by adding s. In writing, however, an apostrophe is put after the s to indicate the possessive case. However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe. Many writers make the mistake of adding just an apostrophe to form the possessive of singular nouns ending in. The apostrophe or character is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark. How do you show possession on a name ending in s answers. The childrens bedroom add an to the plural forms of nouns that end in s. Whether youre thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry or you just have a curiosity as the patient in the chair, getting a grasp on the lingo can come in handy.

Plural words that dont end with s, such as children, do take an apostrophes at the end for possession. How to make names with apostrophes possessive grammar girl. For example, you could write, fortunately, the childrens room had a hidden doorway. If were talking about jess, and were talking about something that belongs to her, like jess s hat.