Plural possessive ending in s grammar girl book

Author of the original blue book of grammar and punctuation. Geraldine woods has taught every level of english from 5th grade through ap. But recently ive stumbled upon a book which consistently uses joness when talking of a single jones. If its a singular subject, you still add the apostrophe and the extra s. We show this act of possession by adding a possessive ending, typically an apostrophe. Apostrophes with words ending in s grammar and punctuation. To make singular nouns possessive, just add apostrophe. Possessive nouns are used to show when something belongs to somebody or something, most times we add s to the end of a singular noun and an apostrophe to the end of a plural. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. Cesar and maribel s home is constructed of redwood.

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. Aardvarks and mothers are both in the possessive case. When they were playing in the kitchen, the kittens toy went under the refrigerator. A noun is a part of speech that names a person, place, thing, action, feeling or ideal. There are a few different ways to form the possessive. Possessive of snouns singular in meaning james jenneman on february 11, 2015 10. There are certain basic rules that english follows fairly consistently when it comes to constructing possessive nouns.

How to make names that end in s plural grammar girl. This approach is consistent with the discussion in the grammar girl. An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like esther s family or janet s cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble the basic rule is simple enough. Johns dog, the schools mascot, her parents mistakes. According to my grammar book, but at variance to the answer to this question, the correct singular possessive if a word ends in. But recently ive stumbled upon a book which consistently uses jones s. 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. If the plural form doesnt end in s, use apostrophe s. If there are multiple nouns, add s only to the last noun. Thus, the deer s tracks would be written, whether one deer or more were meant.

If were talking about jess, and were talking about something that belongs to her, like jess s. Plural possessive nouns incorporate the concepts of ownership and more than one. To make a word a possessive, add an s, unless the word is a plural ending in s, and then, just add an apostrophe. What is the difference between singular and plural possessive. The additional exception was to add an s to words of one syllable ending in s. Sep 02, 2016 it s common for people to wonder, what does it mean to put an apostrophe after an s. One major new use for the apostrophe was to indicate possession. Aug 12, 2019 get grammar girl s take on apostrophe catastrophe. 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.

The members of the kennedy and the clancy families are the kennedys and the clancys, not the kennedies and the clancies. To make a singular noun possessive, add an apostrophe and an s. 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. If we are talking about proper noun, such as names, that already end with an s then you add an apostrophe and another s to show possession. See strunk and white but when gods are involved or those with divinity. An interesting side note is that it doesnt seem so strange that we use an apostrophe s to make words possessive once you realize that in old english, it was common to make words possessive by adding es to the end. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. Heres the scoop on when to use apostrophes to make things plural. As a spanish term, the citys name is a singular noun, plural in form, but if we consider it fully anglicized, does it then count as a regular singular. Why its bridget joness not jones baby grammar girl. Rules for plural and possessive names merriamwebster.

Learn how to make plural words possessive, how to make words that end in s plural, and what to do about abbreviations. Therefore, the singular possessive would be cosmoss. Forming possessives of words ending in s or an s sound by karen yin 9 comments im going to focus on the difference between how the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style handle possessives for words ending in s or an s. The grammatically correct way to write your sentence is i want to be buzzs girl. Possessive apostrophes for singular names ending in s require an extra s such as jones s when the name is of common people. Frannie and lukes house is at the end of the street. The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s. Do we add another s for the possessive form of a name ending with s. The form girl s is the possessive form of the singular noun girl. A possessive noun is a noun that possesses somethingi. We know that we add an apostrophe to show possession or ownership with nouns. You usually make family names plural by adding an s to the end. For example, boat becomes boats, or hat becomes hats a noun ending with a consonant and the letter y forms the plural by adding ies. Possessives followed by a gerund a present participle a type of verb ending in ing acting as a noun should use an apostrophe and an s if singular the doctor s telling of the story was interrupted and an apostrophe alone if plural.

Want to learn more about the plural possessive noun and its role in grammar. To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es. Possessive singular of nouns ending in s, english grammar. Plural and possessive forms with names ending in y. The rule is easy to follow but trips up a lot of people. When a singular proper noun ends in s, add an apostrophe to the end of the word and leave off. Form the possessive of all singular nouns, even those ending in. 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. Possession for words ending in s video khan academy. If there are multiple nouns that refer to more personsthings add s to both nouns. There is one important way in which plural last names differ from other plurals. If two people own something together, use an s after the second. Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. To form the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in s or es, add an apostrophe plus s to the noun.

Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better. For possessives of plural nouns ending in s, add only. 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. Nouns of two or more syllables ending in s or an s sound and not accented on the last syllable, may make their possessive singular by adding s or may take no ending in the possessive. Childrens plural not ending in s chriss or chris name ending in s examples of possessive nouns in a sentence. And the uncertainty is often greatest when the first word is a plural ending in s. If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s. True, many atrocities such as grammar girl s report of a menu advertising ladie s. Singular common nouns ending in s also define a possessive relationship by adding s to the end of the word. Many writers make the mistake of adding just an apostrophe to form the possessive of singular nouns ending. An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like esther s family or janet s cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble. 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 smith s car. If the word ending with s is plural, add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive. When did it become correct to add an s to a singular possessive already ending in s.

Therefore, the plural is gillises, and the plural possessive is gillises. Richards attempts to solve the problem were rewarded. To make a plural noun that ends in s possessive, add just an apostrophe not an apostrophe and an s. During this basic grammar lesson you will learn what possessive nouns are and how to use them in sentences. Our rule 4 of apostrophes says,to show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Nouns like sheep and deer which have the same form in both the singular and the plural, usually take s in the possessive plural. The nearest latin case to what we call the possessive was called the genitive. Thus, the deers tracks would be written, whether one deer or more were meant. If names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe. Growing up in the 90s, i was always taught to add the s after the apostrophe after a singular noun or name ending in s.

Nov 02, 2016 according to rule 1 in this apostrophes with words ending in s blog, to show singular possession for a word ending in an s or s sound, use the apostrophe and another s. Use this poster to help students remember when to use s or s or when it s just plural. For example, the possessive of fox would have been foxes, which was the same as the plural. To show plural possession, make the proper noun plural first, then use the apostrophe. You simply add s to the end, just as you would for a persons name. Extra rules and exceptions just make it more confusing. Jesse james s gun if you are, however, talking about a proper noun ending in s. Cesar s and maribel s job contracts will be renewed next year. According to the merriamwebster dictionary of english usage, other 18 thcentury grammarians.

Mary norriss thoughts on pesky possessives the new yorker. If your subject of ownership is a singular noun, you can go ahead and add the apostrophe and s. Compound possession grammar girl quick and dirty tips. This would correctly convey that this home belongs to the fields family. According to rule 1 in this apostrophes with words ending in s blog, to show singular possession for a word ending in an s or s sound, use the apostrophe and another s. Things can get really confusing with the possessive plurals of proper names ending in s.

Friends is a plural noun ending in s so we just add an apostrophe to the end. If the name ends in s, like charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add s. Grammar book may be a little more helpful rule 8 use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item examples. See the examples below for an illustration of this type of. The possessive case is used to express that something belongs to someone or to show a relationship between two or more people. But in 1763, in his introduction to english grammar, robert lowth introduced the term objective for use instead of accusative, and explicitly endorsed the word possessive instead of genitive. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language. We show this ownership by adding an apostrophe and an s to the noun if the noun is a person or an animal. The possessive of most plural nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe only. The singular is cosmos and the plural can be either cosmos or cosmoses.

She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. In this video, youll learn more about the difference between plural and possessive in american english. For example, you could write, fortunately, the childrens. How to make singular and plural words that end with s possessive. The possessive forms of plural nouns are formed in one of two ways. Mignon fogarty better known as grammar girl, for example, prefers to leave the extra s off.

You can properly make jones possessive two different ways. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style. In that case, add only the apostrophe to the end of the word. To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first.

We dont say friendss house no, this is not correct. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Avoid two of the most common contractionapostrophe errors. If you have added an s to make a word plural for example, cat. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing.

Apostrophes and plurals grammar girl quick and dirty tips. However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe. To get it right, you need to understand what a possessive is. Ive always heard that when talking about stuff belonging to either a jones or many jones, youd write jones pronounced joneses. If the possessive involves a last name with s or z, you can add either. Plural words that dont end with s, such as children, do take an apostrophes at the end for possession. 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. To show joint possession that two or more people own something together, add an apostrophe and an s to the end of the last noun. To use some examples, the lass s book, the bus s timetable, james s homework, kansas s statute, and so on. Hansons mmmbop is the best song with a nonsense chorus.

Most plural possessive nouns are formed by adding an apostrophe to the end of the word. We only add an apostrophe to the end and not an extra s. To use some examples, the lass s book, the buss timetable, james s homework, kansass statute, and so on. If there are multiple nouns that refer to one personthing add s to the last noun. Just like singular possessives, plural possessives that dont end in s add s. As demonstrated in the rule above, to show plural possession of a name ending in s, form the plural first. John s dog, the school s mascot, her parents mistakes. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smith s ferrari, and i visited the smiths house.

I prefer the cmos, and im glad to know that it now recommends adding s for plurals ending in s. Apostrophes are one of the more confounding punctuation marks. Her more than 50 books include english grammar for dummies and many children s books. In the latter case, an apostrophe is added in writing, but in sound there is no difference between the possessive.

But if a word isnt possessive, does it sometimes get an apostrophe anyway. Explanations and interactive exercises on grammar parts of speech and sentence structure nouns possessive sgenitive. For instance, city becomes cities, and baby becomes babies this is not true for all nouns. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller. To indicate separate possession, add whichever possessive sign is appropriate an apostrophe plus s.

Are you confused about how to show the plural and the possessive of certain names. If were talking about jess, and were talking about something that belongs to her, like jess s hat. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. Add es for names ending in s or z and add s for everything else. 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.