That Confusing “S”

Margie Wakeman WellsThe Apostrophe 2 Comments

The last post on the “s” engendered more than a few questions. Here are a couple of answers.

In the construction, “…one of the girl’s/girls’ phones…” or “…one of the voter’s/voters’ choices…,” the form should be plural possessive.

…We were talking with one of the girls’ friends at the time.
…It has to deal with one of his friends’ mothers.

Awkward!! Ugly!! But it is correct.

POSSESSIVES

There is variation in the rules that are taught (and found in books) regarding the formation of possessives.

I think this works as there are no exceptions for any word in the language, no matter what the word ends in or how it is pronounced.

Singular Possessive: Make a word singular possessive by adding an apostrophe “s” to the singular form of the word. All words, including words and names that end in “s,” follow this rule.

…I drove Ms. Ellis’s new car.
…We were seated with Mr. Sanchez’s son.
…She wrote to Mr. Hopkins’s attorney.

(Yes, there may be a problem with pronunciation. I recommend that you follow the rule and not the pronunciation in order to avoid having two different forms of the same word; however, some of you may disagree. It is an editorial decision on your part.)

Plural Possessive: To make a word that ends in “s” plural possessive, add just the apostrophe. If the plural form does not end in “s,” add apostrophe “s.” Be sure to make the word plural first.

…I drove the Ellises’ new car.
…We were seated with the Sanchezes’ son.
…She wrote to the Hopkinses’ attorney.

…She writes children’s books.
…It is in the men’s department.

Happy punctuating!

Margie

Comments 2

  1. Hello Margie, I have a question about the plural progressive agreement with the word heart. If I were to pluralize the word heart in a sentence, inferring the plural possessive form. Would “… our hearts’ / or our heart’s … be the correct punctuation?

    1. Post
      Author

      The plural possessive is formed by making the word plural first. If it ends in the letter “s” — most plurals do — just add the apostrophe. It is “hearts” with an apostrophe.

      Hope this helps.

      Margie

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