For example: President Obama and President Trump's book on bridging the divide in America. 3. Take the singular {an MRI}, make it plural {two MRIs}, and add an apostrophe {the three MRIs' role in the diagnosis}. To form the possessive of any acronym, including those ending in S, add an apostrophe and an s. Therefore, the possessive form of UN is UN's, and the possessive of OAS is OAS's. By contrast, to make an acronym plural add an s without an apostrophe. March 31, 2021 Stephen H. Provost. However, apostrophes can be tricky. The plural possessive (clients') shows that something belongs to, or that we can attribute it to, multiple individuals that are clients. An apostrophe and "s" is added to the end of a plural possessive, or just an apostrophe if the plural ends with an "s." For example, if there are toys that belong to multiple dogs, this would be . One last thing: plural possession. 2. erie county transfer tax calculator; matching couple icons; is it illegal to bring alcohol into a bar; how to become a ceu provider in illinois; aga campolin 11'' picklock; strongsville high school football coaching staff; Return to Content Most plural nouns already end in s. To create their possessive, simply add an apostrophe after the s: The Pepins' house is the big blue one on the corner. 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. All you have to do is remember that if there's ownership or possession, then the word should take apostrophe -s. If there are many (the word is plural), then just an "s" will do. Score: 4.8/5 (21 votes) . The "United States" is a singular noun, we . Use an apostrophe after the "s" (s') at the end of a plural noun to show possession. The Smiths' boat sank. 6. We'll discuss these ways below. Depending on the word, it can be used by itself or in front of an "s." The flowers ' petals were all over the floor. In the following sentences, "it is" or "it has" would fit. Possessives Apostrophes are used to show possession. For names ending in s, form the possessive either by simply adding an apostrophe (James' books) or by adding an apostrophe as well as another s (Charles's phone). If the singular noun happens to end in one S or even two, you still just add an apostrophe and an S: "the boss's desk.". Possessives ending in s still require an apostrophe and another "s.". To correctly show possession by using an apostrophe, first ask, 'Who or what is doing the possessing?' The apostrophe goes straight after the noun that is the answer. However, apostrophes can be tricky. But there is only one president; after all, you don't have two presidents of the same country. It's just what it sounds like: an apostrophe that is used to indicate possession of something. It is best to avoid using too many acronyms in formal academic prose. Later, printers started using them for possessives. the more clueless people stay.". On Writing. Use an apostrophe after the "s" (s') at the end of a plural noun to show possession. joint possessives. Common nouns ending in an s, z or x sound should generally take an apostrophe and an s when indicating possession. The single possessive is formed by adding an -'s to the end of the noun. With a few exceptions (Jesus, Moses, Achilles, etc. Form the possessive case of a singular noun by adding 's (even if the word ends in s). Ordinarily form a possessive by adding 's to a singular noun ( the boy's . In plural possessive terms, place the apostrophe after the "s." This will indicate to the reader that more than one person or thing owns the thing possessed. The witches' brooms were hidden in the corner. But, as in life, things are not always as they seem. Let's take a look at some examples. Apostrophes used in a non-standard manner to form noun plurals are known as greengrocers' apostrophes or grocers' apostrophesoften written as greengrocer's apostrophes [78] or grocer's apostrophes. I came across an article filed by NBC News a few minutes ago on South Dakota Gov. The it's-or-its apostrophe test. Possessive Apostrophe Rules In most singular nouns, what you need to do is to add apostrophe with the letter "s". If the plural of the word is formed by adding an "s" (for example, cats), place the apostrophe after the "s" (see guideline #3 below). Most of the time, a plural noun will be formed by adding "s" to it. If a plural noun doesn't end in "s," add an apostrophe + "s" to create the possessive form. 4. Therefore, you can use the contraction it's (with the apostrophe). Know when not to use an apostrophe can be a bit tricky. But if a plural noun does not end in S, then you . Correct: The school's collection included an original set of Blackstone's Commentaries. The apostrophe no one gets right. Possessives for words ending in "s". 5. Add more owners and you still use only . Rule 1: In general, you form a possessive singular noun (both proper and common) by adding an apostrophe and the letter S to the end of the word. Apostrohpe, Genitive, Possessive, English Online Exercise. . The questions on the use of the apostrophe to form the possessive keep coming. See, for example, Garner's Modern American Usage at . The bus's steering wheel was wearing out. When to Use an Apostrophe: The Rules Made Easy. The answer there would indicate that not only should there be an apostrophe, but it should be apostrophe-s as a possessive: "NEGS's tennis team" However, in the case of an initialism like NEGS, where it can easily be [and probably is] pronounced as a word, the word ends in an s. the parents ' bedroom the Smiths ' lives It is not necessary to add another "s" to the end of a possessive plural noun. If the word ending with S is plural, add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive: the aardvarks' route. In most cases, you form the plural of a word by adding an s: shoes; socks; cups. If you want to know more about possessive apostrophes, this page will guide you and will give more details about it. Example: Cesar and Maribel's home is constructed of redwood. Cat. The possessive case shows ownership. This is where it gets a little tricky. There will be times when you will need to put the apostrophe after s. When a word is showing possession and ends with the letter -s, an apostrophe should be added after the s. There are many variations to using apostrophes after -s. It is important to understand the basics of each of these rules to correctly use the apostrophe after -s. Examples In words that end in x or an s, you form . There are a few different ways to form the possessive of a noun. Use this simple trick to decide whether to use an apostrophe in its: if "it is" or "it has" sounds fine in a sentence, use it's; otherwise, use its. Servicemen's fees rise after hours and on weekends. However, in the case of an initialism like NEGS, where it can easily be [and probably is] pronounced as a word, the word ends in an s. That means it's probably pronunced as "negz tennis team" rather . Instead of saying "the house of Paul" in English we use the apostrophe S to show that the house belongs to Paul. First, a plural noun which already ends in s takes only a . That is my friend`s house. You have a choice that depends on how you (yes, you personally) say it.) The real challenge comes when deciding where to place the apostrophe to denote the possessive singular or the plural possessive form of a word, as in customer's compared to customers'.. Use customer's with the apostrophe before the "s," to show the possessive form for . For singular nouns and irregular plurals (those not ending in s ), you should add 's to the end of the word. An acronym is a pronounceable word made up of a series of initial letters or parts of words the possessive, or the plural possessive is handled in exactly the same way as it is for all words which end in S. I would assume that the same hold true for the possessive plural of a set of initials. Let's start with the simple facts, and work towards an understanding of the more complex aspects of . Its first two uses are straightforward: To indicate a possessive {the plaintiff's brief}. By this style rule, you would express the plural of Ross as Ross's. From The New York Time Manual of Style and Usage (1999): possessives. It's when the car belongs to a person named Chris, or we're talking about the petals of a crocus that the rules get blurry. Ordinarily form a possessive by adding 's to a singular noun ( the boy's . Its first two uses are straightforward: To indicate a possessive {the plaintiff's brief}. Examples the Patels' cats the Dalys' rats the Harrises' bats the Joneses' hats Caution Be careful about where you insert the apostrophe. Apostrophes are used to form contractions to indicate omitted letters, such as could n't (the apostrophe indicates the missing letter o ). People were invited to weigh in, and Twitter was possessed with the possessiveor at least with the "S" following the apostrophe to form the possessive of a noun ending in a sibilant. If all your clients had one goal, that would be your clients' goal. If you are required to follow AP style in your writing, this is the correct way. By this style rule, you would express the plural of Ross as Ross's. From The New York Time Manual of Style and Usage (1999): possessives. Even if a singular noun ends in "s" such as in . The babies' beds were all in a row. The apostrophe does three things. There are possession rules for using an apostrophe, according to the type of noun. So: Plural words that don't end with S, such as " children," do take an apostrophe-S at the end for possession. Chris'. Apostrophes after the letter S. Rule 1: When a plural noun ends in s, place an apostrophe after the s to show possession. There is a lot of disagreement about the answer to this question. Therefore, in the example above, the correct usage would be "Adams's (2013) work.". Servicemen's fees rise after hours and on weekends. A possessive apostrophe indicates possession of something. There are exceptions to using a possessive apostrophe. File this under "the more things change. Rule # 2. the flower's petals Riley's car That's simple enough. And for the word "it," the rules are reversed. The standard pattern is to treat the two partners as a single unita coupleand put an apostrophe only after the last name: "John and Jane's villa," "Ben & Jerry's ice cream.". Apostrophes have been evading consensus since they were first used in the 1500s to indicate omitted letters. To show plural possession, simply put an apostrophe after the s. Similarly, do not use an apostrophe + s to make a regular noun plural. For good examples, check this out: Also, you use "s" in showing possession of the singular noun even that word . The US's . If the plural of the word is formed without adding an "s" (for example, children . This is called a possessive apostrophe. Write the correct form of the possessives into the gaps (apostrophe 's). If a word is both plural and possessed, it gets an s followed by an apostrophe. If the ownership or relationship refers to a singular regular common noun, the apostrophe should be used before s (`s). The use of the possessive apostrophe gets complicated because our language is complicated. 2. To mark the omission of one or more characters, especially in . We understand Lagos's (OR Lagos') airport handled over one million passengers last year. 2. Hence: There are three types of exception. Main Apostrophe Takeaways: Apostrophes have three main uses: to show ownership, omissions, and plural letters, numbers, and symbols ; An apostrophe stands in for the missing letter(s) in a contraction like don't or can't.; If something is plural and showing possession, put an apostrophe after the "s."You can also add another 's' after the apostrophe, but it isn't usually required. The Associated Press Stylebook has rules that state any plural noun, including names that end with an S, only get an apostrophe to symbolize possession. This causes problems, however, because of how plural nouns are made possessive. If a family name ends with an s or z, you can choose to use just the apostrophe ("the Williams' dog") or 's ("the Williams's dog"). The standard pattern is to treat the two partners as a single unita coupleand put an apostrophe only after the last name: "John and Jane's villa," "Ben & Jerry's ice cream.". If a plural noun doesn't end in "s," add an apostrophe + "s" to create the possessive form. Possessive Apostrophes. A possessive noun, which contains an apostrophe S, is used to show possession or that there is a relationship between two things or that something belongs to someone or something. This post is about how to form the possessive of a proper name that ends in -s. Most stylebooks agree that the rule for forming the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s is formed by adding 's: the boss's birthday the bus's wheels the witness's testimony Apostrophe (') - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary The singular possessive of this word, client's, indicates that a thought or item belongs to one person, like an individual client's file. The possessive form of almost all proper names is formed by adding apostrophe and s to a singular or apostrophe alone to a plural. For example, you could write, "Fortunately, the children's room had a hidden doorway," with "children's" written as . NOTE: the generally accepted convention for most academic styles (including CMOS, APA, and MLA) is to add apostrophe + s to the singular form of the word, even if it ends in . Answer. The apostrophe symbol can be used to indicate the possessive type of a noun (possessive apostrophe, i.e. The second is that when it comes to possessives of words ending in s , there is no single right answerdifferent stylebooks offer different guidelines! man's shirt When the possessor is plural, the apostrophe goes after the "s." ladies' bathroom Exceptions to the rules When the possessor is singular but ends "s," the apostrophe goes after the "s." Wales' emblem (Note that "Wales's emblem" is also acceptable. An apostrophe can be used to show that one thing belongs to or is connected to something. Advertisement Examples: Hammurabi's code, Dickens's last novel, James's cello. The lions' usual source of water has dried up. Use an apostrophe when showing possession. Regular nouns are nouns that form their plurals by adding either the letter s or es (guy, guys; letter, letters; actress, actresses; etc.). Similarly, if two people share possession of an item or person: For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggleses' presentation was good." The Eggleses are a husband and wife consultant team.) If it's not being pronounced, what you will do is to add apostrophe plus the letter "s". 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. If you simply add an apostrophe, the pronunciation does not change, but if you add apostrophe ' s ' ( 's ), the possessive is pronounced / iz /. The proper conference is to include the possessive apostrophe even when the word ends in an s. So James s is appropriate. In school, we are taught that Chris' is the proper way to write about something that belongs to Chris. The answer there would indicate that not only should there be an apostrophe, but it should be apostrophe-s as a possessive: "NEGS's tennis team". Take, for instance, the word "series." "Series" is spelled the same way whether it's used as a singular or plural noun. 3. 19 Votes) If two people possess the same item, put the apostrophe + s after the second name only. Click to see full answer. Plurals that end in "s" sometimes cause confusion when using a possessive apostrophe. This might seem tricky, but it's not. Apostrophes used in a non-standard manner to form noun plurals are known as greengrocers' apostrophes or grocers' apostrophesoften written as greengrocer's apostrophes [78] or grocer's apostrophes. The cat's tail was fluffy. The pilot 's suitcase was found and returned. Add more owners and you still use only . The gases' odors mixed and became nauseating. Possessive nouns are nouns that show ownership. Descriptive phrases don't need an apostrophe Some nouns are descriptive rather than possessive. An apostrophe and "s" is added to the end of a plural possessive, or just an apostrophe if the plural ends with an "s." For example, if there are toys that belong to multiple dogs, this would be . If the ownership or relationship refers to a plural regular proper noun, the apostrophe should be used after s ( s` ). 2. To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first; then immediately use the apostrophe.". Rules for Possessive Apostrophes An apostrophe is use with letters in showing possession or ownership. Per APA Style, the answer is that the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, even when the name ends in s (see p. 96 in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual ). Then, to form the possessive of this plural, simply add an apostrophe after the s, as you would for any other plural word. Therefore, the plural is Gillises, and the plural possessive is Gillises'. So, this is a singular possessive made by adding an apostrophe and an "s.". February 6, 2020, at 6:20 am. An acronym is . Look at the example: Paul's house is very big. The possessive form of almost all proper names is formed by adding apostrophe and s to a singular or apostrophe alone to a plural. For singular nouns, add an apostrophe plus an S: "the duck's bill.". Eliminate the confusion with these simple examples and tips to help you avoid apostrophe mistakes. When writing about jointly owned objects, people often fret about where to place apostrophes. If there's a plural word in an initialism as when Lloyd's Register . How to Use Apostrophes After 'S' Names Plenty of us were taught to add an apostrophe without an s for the possessive form of a word or name that ended in an s. For example: James' hat; the bus'. As the post states, "To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es .. Apostrophe song from Grammaropolis - "The Best Apostrophe Song You've Ever Heard" 33 related questions found. The boss's suit was brand new. 1. Example Nick Jones' hat or Nick Jones's hat but the Joneses' hats she s, it s ). To form the possessive of a proper noun ending in an s or z sound, some people use apostrophe + s, as in Perez's and Burns's, and others prefer an apostrophe alone, as in Perez' and Burns's. The best advice I can give you is that if you are writing for a class, or if .