What sentence is correct: 1. The man returned James' hat. 2. The man returned James's hat. I'm not sure if the apostrophe in a singular possessive noun that ends in S should come after the S with no subsequent S or whether it should be 'S. Style guides seem to go both ways.
2007-01-20 14:23:05 · 13 answers · asked by wesred55 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
If it is a singluar noun you add the apostrophe and then the "s". Since with plural possessives you make the plural first and then add the apostrophe, it can get confusing if the singluar possessive ends in "s" already. It would make for less confusion to use it as James's since that would indicate the name to be James as opposed to the hat belonging to more than one Jame.
2007-01-20 14:30:50 · answer #1 · answered by Kokopelli 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know what they are teaching people these days but most of the answers here are wrong.
If the word is singular, you add 's to show possession even if the word ends in the phonemes s or z:
James's hat
Max's book
The Reverend Septimus's surplice.
There are a few, a very few, exceptions and these have a long tradition. Three in particular have just the apostrophe following the s
Jesus' friends
Moses' staff
Achilles' heel
With plurals ending in s the apostrophe comes after the s
The Joneses' house
The mothers' meeting
Plurals not ending in s take 's
The children's hour.
The people's representative
2007-01-20 16:12:13 · answer #2 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both are correct. I'm an English teacher, so you can trust me.
Edit: Tentofield, that's an impressive answer, but the option to omit the possessive "s" following an apostrophe is applicable to ANY singular noun ending in 's'. It is not, as you suggest, only reserved for Biblical and mythological figures. For instance, the following sentence is correct: Jesus' teachings have been an inspiration in James' life.
The following sentence is ALSO correct: Jesus' teachings have been an inspiration in James's life.
2007-01-20 14:32:00 · answer #3 · answered by SLMpetite 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I want to know how this works when the proper noun ends with 's, as in Casey's General Store; Buck's Shoot Shop; how do I show ownership when it ends with an apostrophe s already?
2016-05-24 03:01:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The apostrophe must be placed after the possesive noun that ends with S.
2007-01-20 16:26:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sentence #1 is correct. If the noun ends in an s the apostrophe follows it, if the noun ends with any other consonant you add an apostrophe and then the s.
2007-01-20 14:32:29 · answer #6 · answered by Billy FZ1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The apostrophe goes after the s, so the first sentence is the correct one.
2007-01-20 14:25:23 · answer #7 · answered by boarderx13132000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As you say, style guides seem to to both ways. So, either would be correct.
However, particulary in relation to the name James - in London they refer to St James's, in Australia we say St James'. So it's a cultlural thing. When in Rome ...
2007-01-20 22:05:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
After the s. My last name ends in an s and the possesive has no additional s in it.
2007-01-20 14:26:30 · answer #9 · answered by leoccleo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
after the s
2007-01-20 14:25:48 · answer #10 · answered by Smitten_Kitten 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋