Possessive names that end in S?
Singular possessive The possessive form of a singular noun is an apostrophe followed by the letter "s." Kramer's hair Daphne's patience the car's engine Words ending with s, z or x generally omit the "s." Dr. Seuss' sense of humor Plural possessive In order to place the apostrophe correctly in plural nouns, you must first be certain of the plural form. If you have questions about these forms, you may want to browse the section on plural nouns above. For plural nouns ending in "s," add only an apostrophe: Singers' voices The cousins' favorite uncle
What is the possessive form of words ending in 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.Example: Jesse James’s gunIf you are, however, talking about a proper noun ending in s because it is plural, you only add an apostrophe at the end with no following s.Example: The Joneses’ 50th wedding anniversaryIn the first style (proper names with a natural s ending) you can drop the s after the apostrophe and just use the apostrophe alone. Whichever option you choose, however, you need to make sure you use that style consistently.Correct Example: Jesse James’ gun was not as popular an exhibit as Peter Criss’ drum kit.Incorrect Example: Jesse James’s gun was not as popular an exhibit as Peter Criss’ drum kit.Finally, for common nouns, you simple follow the final s with an apostrophe alone.Example: The Flowers’ aromas mingled in a pleasant way.Hope this helps.
How is the possessive form of a name ending with "s" written?
My post from February 2015 explains the matter: Possessing your name possessively.Use apostrophe-S for all proper nouns (names).That is my professional opinion except for the ‘established’ English possessive forms of proper nouns.That opinion is based on these traditional reasons:—A name is a proper noun, so the written Proper-Noun Possessive doesn’t necessarily operate as for a Common-Noun Possessive.The 1st RuleThe 1st traditional rule is go by PRONUNCIATION OF THE POSESSIVE — and this is where the native English speaker reins supreme (or supposed to).The 2nd Rule — possibly usableAPOSTROPHE ALONE when the possessive pronunciation ends in a ‘single’ S, Z or X sound (or when the original S, Z or X is silent).Williams’Descartes’ (silent in French, but the S pronounced in English)Rule invalid for Mr Fuss because the possessive is pronounced “fusses/fussez”Rule invalid for Mrs Kass because the possessive is pronounced “kasses/kassez”It is possible to argue that Fuss and Kass are non-English names and therefore this rule becomes validly applicable (so Mr Fuss’ and Mrs Kass’)The 3rd Rule — more widely usableAPOSTROPHE+S when the possessive pronunciation ends in “-es” or “-ez” or “-eez.” This 3rd rule is more extensively applicable in English to all kinds of non-English names by shoehorning them into an ‘English’ possessive form.James’s, Charles’s, Jones’s‘English’ possessive for Mr Fuss is “fusses/fussez” — ergo, Mr Fuss’s‘English’ possessive for Mrs Kass is “kasses/kassez” — ergo, Mrs Kass’sThe 4th Rule — always usableSame as Rule 3:— APOSTROPHE+S for ALL possessives of proper nouns (names) in written form — regardless of their pronunciation. And therefore we would never go wrong with this rule.Thanks for the A2A.
How to do the possessive of a name ending in "s"?
Guess what! I totally found this out yesterday at my ACT prep class. I have always wondered that too. So it used to be that Louis's dog was the only correct way, but because our language is weird and changes, Louis's and Louis' are accepted now. So both are correct! :)
How do I show possessive apostrophe for a name ending in sh? (e.g. Joe English)?
's is what you would use
Should there be an "s" after the apostrophe for names ending in a double s?
Use apostrophe plus S with all proper nouns (i.e. names) regardless of spelling: Williams (Williams's), Descartes (Descartes's), Russ (Russ's), etc. This rule is just as correct as the older, traditional rule of basing on pronunciation (which is somewhat harder to get right in most practical circumstances).The traditional exceptions are Jesus (Jesus'), Moses (Moses'), and classical names of antiquity (Xerxes', Socrates', etc).For more information, see this: Possessing your name possessively.Thanks for the A2A.
Showing possession in names ending in "s"?
Ok I just thought of something. Certain names like James sound fine if you just say the name. You know what I mean? Like you aren't going to say Jameses house. But with Phyllis you don't just say Phyllis. It's like you have to add "es" at the end. IT's really confusing to explain. Sorry.
How do you pronounce the possessive forms of names ending in an 's'?
Lots of confusion about this sort of thing. But here it is. Contra most of those posting here, you DO add the apostrophe s after a singular noun ending with an s or z sound... and you also pronounce it. Thus it is: Marcus's (pronounced, roughly, Markus-ez) This is, in fact, "Rule #1" in William Strunk's classic Elements of Style. An excerpt: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's. Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write, Charles's friend Burns's poems the witch's malice [He goes on to explain the very limited exceptions] Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in -es and -is, the possessive Jesus', and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms as Achilles' heel, Moses' laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by the heel of Achilles the laws of Moses the temple of Isis http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html ------------------------------ There is similar confusion when it comes to how to form the plurals and their possessives for nouns whose singular form ends with s/z. The basic approach is similar. That is, you almost always follow the SAME rules as for singulars that do NOT have such endings! Combining the two, we get: John Adams (singular) John Adams's temper(singular possessive) the Adamses (plural) the Adamses' marriage (plural possessive)
Placing an apostrophe with a name ending in S?
When using the "s" to show possession you may use the apostrophe after the person's name ending in "s" and, although, not required you may also follow the apostrophe with another "s".
Grammar Question: Possessive apostrophes on names ending in "s"?
There are differing opinions on this, and style manuals do not all agree. Some say you do not use the 'apostrophe s' to form the possessive (either proper name or common noun) - just add the apostrophe. Some waffle and say use 's on common nouns but not on proper nouns. I am not familiar with a style manual that says use 's on one syllable names and just ' on others - not saying it doesn't exist, just that I've never seen such a style sheet. Finally, you come to the US Government Printing Office Style Manaul. They say 's all the way - one syllable or more, common nouns ending in 's' or proper nouns ending in 's'. They do make an exception for Biblical and ancient names based on older but long-established practice - Jesus', Achilles'. Those of us older than dirt were taught 's for all - so we still use that form. Since the GPO Style Manual covers the largest printing operation in the US, we've got a good basis.