The ap style as it s known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. For singular names like sanders, which ends in s, ap adds only an apostrophe, not an apostrophe and an s no exceptions. Sep 07, 2010 i wouldnt call it a disagreement, just a difference in preferences. If the plural is not one that is formed by adding s, an s is added for the possessive, after the apostrophe. Some styles use s, like singular common nouns ending in s. If a singular proper noun a name ends in s, chicago and ap handle apostrophes differently. Chris photograph appears on page 1 of the business. Sep 04, 2015 to form the possessive of a noun that ends in s, ap style has separate rules for proper names and generic nouns.
Download this icon to link to the chicago manual of style online from your site. Ap the witness s story did not match the events recorded on tape. Where do you put the apostrophe after names that end in s. To form the possessive of a noun that ends in s, ap style has separate rules for proper names and generic nouns. Jones s document only when the word is plural and possessive do you place the apostrophe outside the s. So it puzzles me that the ap stylebook, the most influential guide for journalists, argues that a simple apostrophe suffices after proper nouns ending in s. If youre not governed by a style book, then you should be able to do your preference. Extra rules and exceptions just make it more confusing. Possessive of proper names ending in s by maeve maddox. One book includes a poster showing shapes circle, square, triangle.
Apostrophes with words ending in s grammar and punctuation. They are also unnecessary with possessive pronouns. The chicago manual of style 16th ed would have you do thomas s and chris s. In short, is it carlos stylebook or carloss stylebook. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. The possessive in words and names ending in s normally takes an apostrophe followed by a second s jones s, james s, but be guided by pronunciation and use the plural apostrophe where it helps.
If the apostrophe appears before the letter s then it may denote that the possessive case is singular, i. We follow the guidance of leading reference books such as the chicago manual of style and the associated press stylebook. For certain terms, like teachers college, style guides have specific rules. The period comes after the g, so it s the same for the apostrophe when you drop the g. For an ellipsis, ap calls for three periods, with a space before and after. The truth is that chris takes just an apostrophe only if you follow the rules in the the associated press stylebook. Every time the associated press stylebook announces a change it provokes. Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive. Your answer about the possessive of titles in quote marks. Apostrophes and proper nouns grammar and punctuation. Apr 15, 2016 the ap stylebook doesnt address the issue of a possessive title in quotation marks, but the aps ask the editor column sees repeated questions asking how it should be done. Plurals and possessives of movie titles in quote marks.
I dont have my copy ready to hand, but i believe the example concerned a royal tonsillectomy, in which the surgeon removed the tonsils and the copyeditor removed the s. Couples retreat might be plural possessive whereas couples massage is often singular possessive. Here s what my old ap style guide says about the possessive and singular common nouns ending in s. One can not see a possessive apostrophe in the spoken word, which can lead to a lot of confusion if the second s isnt spoken.
For proper names that already have an apostrophe, like lowe s, you dont need to add anything to make them possessive. Per apa style, the answer is that the possessive of a singular name is. Chris exam scores were higher than any other students. For possessives of singular common nouns ending in s, add s. Ap reporters write fast, but their stylebook moves slow. Whew, so that seemed complicated, but remember most of the time it s simple. According to the ap style book, the one time when you dont add a trailing s is.
Plus, i will show you a helpful memory tool that you can use to determine whether her s or hers is the correct word when to use hers. It indicates possession or ownership specifically, hers is a third person singular feminine pronoun and is used with singular feminine subjects. The first is to signal a contraction missing letters as in thats for that is d. 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. So whether you write charles or charles s the s after the apostrophe is always said, even when it isnt written. In ap style, if a proper noun ends in s or an s sound, add an apostrophe only. Mary norriss thoughts on pesky possessives the new yorker.
Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. For both ap and chicago style, if a singular noun does not end in s, add s. Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. I can understand why the daily mail might possibly press boss s into serv. Its your, yours, hers, its, ours, their, and theirs, that tend to cause the confusion. Except for writers who abide by associated press guidelines, apostrophe rules for possessive proper nouns are virtually identical to those for possessive common nouns. For proper names, you add the apostrophes to the end. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. 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 sound. The daily mail newspaper is just being hypercorrect arguably hypercorrect in an unnecessary andor misguided way. A proposed change to the associated press style for forming possessives has drawn comments ranging from bafflement and consternation to scorn and reason. The relative possessive pronoun whose is also frequently the victim of apostrophe abuse. The short answer is found in which singular names ending in s form possessives with only a bare apostrophe use ss s if you pronounce the extra s, as in buzz s jetpack.
To use some examples, the lasss book, the buss timetable, jamess homework, kansass statute, and so on. Unless you want to make your last name possessive, there arent any circumstances where you would need to add an apostrophe. Sep 02, 2016 it s common for people to wonder, what does it mean to put an apostrophe after an s. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. As a rule of thumb, adding the s to the apostrophe is a good idea. We took at look at the ap stylebook s section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. For instance, if the subject of the sentence were queen. You should use an apostrophe only with the singular form of. When s is used with any of these words it indicates possession and must be preceded by an apostrophe. Achilles heel, agnes book, ceres rites, descartes theories, dickens novels. To form a possessive construction from a singular common noun, add an apostrophe and the letter s. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and.
For singular proper names ending in s, ap style is to add only an apostrophe to make them possessive. Equally consistent, the associated press style book opts for a single apostrophe for all proper names ending in s. In general, follow your style manual or your own good sense, and be consistent. Those guides argue for adding the apostrophe and the s to singular proper names. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Mistaking a stylebook for a rule book baltimore sun. If youre following associated press style, you add just a lone apostrophe after the s, but if youre following the chicago manual of style, you add an apostrophe and an s after jones to make it possessive. In chicago style, use an apostrophes if singular and just an apostrophe if plural. If you dont support it, the associated press stylebook ap agrees with you. We all know the normal formats for english possessives. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style. The ap stylebook would have you do thomas and chris. For singular common nouns that end in s, both ap and chicago styles use apostrophes. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and refer to it when in doubt.
It depends on who you ask, and it depends on the kind of noun in question. In ap style, you use a lone apostrophe to make singular nouns and names that end with s possessive, and in chicago style, most of the time you add an apostrophe and an s, with a few rare exceptions. 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 sound. Ap rules that proper names such as chris, agnes, and russ take only an apostrophe, like these examples. See styelbook preferences regarding nouns ending in s. Forming possessives with singular names apa style blog. Whereas in the past it was thought bad form to add an s, style guides are now pointing in that direction, even ones in the us where grammar tends to be policed in more traditional ways.
In short, is it carlos stylebook or carlos s stylebook both ap and chicago styles take pronunciation into account, handling new syllables formed by backtoback sibilants in their own way. In fact, for some of these pronouns, adding an apostrophe forms a contraction instead of a possessive see the table. Nonacademic styles, such as ap, suggest simply adding an apostrophe to the end of a word that ends in s. Associated press style, used by most newspapers, is slightly different. Plural nouns ending in s form the genitive by adding an apostrophe. However, if the name or word itself ends in s for example, dress or ozymandias, then you find yourself in muddier waters. Is it correct to place an apostrophe after the letter z. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the s. Aps david minthorn recommends avoiding the construction, as in this exchange from 20. How to handle apostrophes in unusual situations such as. If the plural form doesnt end in s, use apostrophe s. Some style guides including the associated press stylebook but not the chicago manual of style recommend using only an apostrophe after singular proper names ending in s for example, achilles heel and tennessee williams plays. Although such a double possessive is allowed, i personally prefer freds friend over a friend of freds. Why its bridget joness not jones baby grammar girl.
Hover over the profile pic and click the following button to unfollow any account. There are different apostrophe rules for different styles. If you were writing for the news media or any publication that follows associated press style, you would put movie titles in quotation marks. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law ap. O in english, an apostrophe has two chief functions. The confusion arises when you use both ways of making possessives at the same time, as in a friend of freds. For proper names like james, ap says, add an apostrophe only. Mephistopheles, waters, hedges rather than mephistopheles s, waters s, hedges s.
Mar 01, 2016 apostrophes and possessive nouns, part 2. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important. Their practice is that any time a words ends in s, you put an apostrophe after the s to make it possessive. Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. Fred and sylvia s apartment, fred and sylvia s stocks. Oct 28, 2019 so it puzzles me that the ap stylebook, the most influential guide for journalists, argues that a simple apostrophe suffices after proper nouns ending in s. I want to write it with an apostrophe s when needing possession, but others want to use only the apostrophe. However, if the noun ends in the letter s and the following noun begins with an s, add an apostrophe only.
Please check the style guide of whatever format youre using to make sure youre in line with their recommendations. Ive always followed the prescription of the elements of style for making a possessive from a proper name ending in s. May, 2014 if the noun is plural and ends in s, add just an apostrophe the beatles greatest hits. An apostrophic dilemma marquette university law school. Use a possessive form after both words if the objects are individually owned. To get it right, you need to understand what a possessive is. The rule is always with a few exceptions say the possessive s, whether it is written or not. When you are using a common noun ending in s that is possessive, do you use apostrophes or just an apostrophe. Sep 01, 20 ap the witnesss story did not match the events recorded on tape.
Roy peter clark settles the possessive apostrophe debate. Some possessive pronouns, like hers and theirs, end in s already, so it seems intuitive to add the apostrophe. Nov 15, 2018 both are acceptableits merely a difference of style and personal preference. Add apostrophes unless the next word begins with s. Aug 12, 2019 whew, so that seemed complicated, but remember most of the time its simple. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. Like for example different books with their different designs. If it appears after the s, then it will most likely be plural, i. Oct 17, 2006 she wants to know why boss s has an apostrophe and an s but chris has only an apostrophe.
For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe. Lisas essay englands navy my brothers girlfriend wittgensteins last book. It s bridget jones s baby and not bridget jones baby because the studio decided to go with chicago style. The associated press stylebook puts all these in quotation marks. We are considering changing to use s when making a name that ends in s possessive. Possessives learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Nov 02, 2016 so whether you write charles or charless the s after the apostrophe is always said, even when it isnt written. In other style guides, chris takes an apostrophe and an s.
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. Singular proper nouns that end in s should be treated like all other. And i doubt it needs to be resolved, at least at the present. 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 possessive apostrophe s is just another contracted form. When i came to the court in 1987, the prevailing rule for a regular plural possessive was simply to add an apostrophe after the words final s. For other nouns, youd put just an apostrophe at the end, so if you had a bunch of cats and they had beds, you say that those are the cats beds, or if your parents shared a car, you would say it is your parents car. The ap stylebook has ballooned to twice the length it was when i started my writing career in the 1980s. As louis is spelt louis, the possesive form goes after the whole name.
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