We can say my cat, their cat, a cat or that cat, but not a my cat or that my cat. Singular nouns of one syllable ending with an s sound are made possessive by adding apostrophe s s. While normal people wonder about apostrophes in general, believe it or not, word nerds have heated arguments over whether to use an additional s with singular possession rule 1. Many writers insist, however, that we actually hear an es sound attached to the possessive forms of these words, so an apostrophe s is appropriate. The nearest latin case to what we call the possessive was called the genitive. How is the possessive form of a name ending with s written. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. If the plural form doesnt end in s, use apostrophe s. Use an apostrophe plus s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in s. Apr 12, 2012 the websters adds that in grammar shows the omission of a letter dont for do not and, in the possessive case, originally showed the omission of the letter e in the inflectional ending of the case i understand that girl s dress was written girles dress. An apostrophe and the letter s are used to show possession. To make a single noun possessive, simply add an apostrophe and an s.
That is my professional opinion except for the established. When a plural noun ends with an s, simply add an apostrophe to make it possessive. In that period, the possessive singular ending es and the nonpossessive plural ending as began to sound. If there are multiple nouns, add s only to the last noun. Richards attempts to solve the problem were rewarded.
The possessive form of an english noun, or more generally a noun phrase, is made by suffixing a morpheme which is represented. Aug, 20 i wrote this song about possessives as a memorable tool to help my students learn and understand possessives for life. Some irregular plurals that dont end in s get an apostrophe s whether attributive or possessive. Mignon fogarty better known as grammar girl, for example, prefers to leave the extra s off. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. For example, you could write, fortunately, the children s room had a hidden doorway, with children s written as. The chicago manual of style, the ap stylebook, garners modern. Grammar girl did a fabulous episode about it and explains it in depth. The apostrophe indicates that one bicycle belongs to one girl. Why its bridget joness not jones baby grammar girl. Nouns indicating possession and compound subjects grammar.
The possessive case denotes ownership or possession. Thats when the grammarian robert lowth decided to rename the grammatical cases in english, but before i can talk about that, i should explain what grammatical. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing mad marvs place. In addition to the s ending a clitic, the possessive can be expressed with of, particularly when the possessor is not alive the top floor of the building, the base of the statue.
Look in the childrens toy box for the babys rattle. It is also the rule of the chicago manual of style and other leading style books. This song explains using apostrophes to show possession in a very simplified way. If the word ending with s is plural, add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive. Possessive nouns are used to show when something belongs to somebody or something, most times we add s to the end of a singular noun and an apostrophe to the end of a plural noun.
She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. There are two ways to look at jons in your sentences. Some of the indefinite pronouns form their possessives with a possessive ending. The rule is you need to add es and then an apostrophe. Mar 29, 2012 well, there is a possessive in expressions like two weeks notice or a years pay. Henry holt books are available for special promotions and premiums. When a plural noun ends in s, place an apostrophe after the s to show possession. Proper names ending in s when proper names end in s, people often get confused about how to form a possessive plural. Read on to discover all the apostrophe rules youll ever need to know.
Old english had a genitive case, which has left its mark in modern english in the form of the possessive ending s now sometimes referred to as the saxon genitive, as well as possessive pronoun forms such as his, theirs, etc. So nouns use apostrophes to become possessive, but possessive pronouns get their own separate spellings. To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s, add only. Before you get mired in the many ways that the letter s plays in making things possessive, plural or possessive plural, there are a few. Learn some common mistakes with apostrophes and how to properly use them. Possessive pronouns mine, yours pronouns exercises. Attributive nouns versus possessives with apostrophes. Books is a direct object what is being given and her is the indirect object who the books are being given to. The childrens bedroom add an to the plural forms of nouns that end in s.
Possessive comes from the same root as possession, something you own. Jamie mcguire goodreads author shelved 19 times as possessivehero avg rating 4. Add an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in s to show possession. I am aware that if the word ends with an s you would normally add an es to pluralize. Underline the sentence that uses a possessive noun correctly. Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes. Formation of possessive construction nouns and noun phrases. Possessives and attributives the chicago manual of style. Many people would write its, in an attempt to make it. In grammar, the genitive case abbreviated gen, also called the second case, is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a nounthus, indicating an. Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. Singular name ending in s thomas car or thomass car both are correct irregular plural childrens books. Academic learning centre 2 add an s to the plural forms of nouns that do not end in s. If names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe.
In a sentence with several names, add one or s only to the last name. Theoretically, an inanimate object or abstract idea cannot possess anything, but writers routinely use possessive endings with inanimate objects, as in the rockets red glare. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. To express an ownership for two or more people put the s to the final name.
The managers names more than one manager the bosses ideas more than one boss c. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon. Apostrophes in company names grammar girl quick and dirty tips. We cannot usually use a possessive word before another determiner and a noun. The most common way to make a singular word that ends with s possessive is to add a lone apos trophe steve jobs. 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. If a singular word ends in s, it is still necessary to add s. Do you have trouble distinguishing between possessive nouns and plural nouns. A possessive noun shows ownership by adding an apostrophe, an s or both. Jan 31, 2020 in english grammar, possessive case is the case or function of an inflected form of a noun santa s, the boss s showing ownership, measurement, or source.
Now, there are some simple rules about how to use the apostrophe s. Plural nouns ending ins form their possessive case by adding only an apostrophe. I prefer the cmos, and im glad to know that it now recommends. If the look of the three s s in a row doesnt bother you, use that construction.
However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe. The possessive case is now used chiefly with the names of living things. Pauls, julies, mikes, and susans are all possessive nouns. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. To form the possessive of singular nouns, add s, as in homers job or. Another type of noun use is called a subject complement.
Peoples names that end in s you can write at the end, or add s. Possessive or genitive case definition and examples. When we have a singular noun, we just add an apostrophe s like we have already seen. You can properly make jones possessive two different ways. The idea that there isnt has to do with a renaming that happened in the 1700s. One book includes a poster showing shapes circle, square, triangle. The managers name one manager the bosss ideas one boss b. But although this rule seems straightforward, one thing that trips up many writers is how to form possessives when the name being used ends with an s. But the chicago manual of style says that forming the possessive with names ending in s is just. Theoretically, an inanimate object or abstract idea cannot possess anything, but writers routinely use possessive endings with inanimate objects, as in the rocket s red glare. Our companys acronym is singular and ends in an s, just like cmos. If each name has something, you have to put or s to both names. Many common nouns end in the letter s lens, cactus, bus, etc. Apostrophes with words ending in s grammar and punctuation.
Sometimes you will need to express a possessive relation between people or things. It is important to put the apostrophe in the correct place, either before the s or after the s, depending on whether the subject is singular or plural. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing is an educational podcast produced by mignon fogarty that was launched in july 2006 and the title of a print book by fogarty that was released in july 2008. Offside by shay savage, his unlikely lover by natasha anders, the doover by m. Sam and mary johnson live in a large house with their two. 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. In this edition, page numbers are just like the physical edition. I showed you the specific rules for placing this ending on a possessive noun. On the other hand, the chicago manual of style still favors using them except in cases where. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the s. Plural words that dont end with s, such as children, do take an apostrophes at the. There are a few different ways to form the possessive of a noun.
How to make names that end in s plural grammar girl. In this post, well look at another apostrophe construction. Plural words that dont end with s, such as children, do take an apostrophe s at the end for possession. Possessive singular of nouns ending in s, english grammar. We use s to show that something belongs to a person or a pet or to talk about relationships between people. The eggleses are a husband and wife consultant team. This means telling if someonesomething belongs to someonesomething. A noun names a person, place, thing, idea, quality or action. How to make singular and plural words that end with s possessive.
Extra rules and exceptions just make it more confusing. Plural nouns that do not end in s, form the possessive case by adding s. 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. English grammar possessive genitive case learn english.
Possessive case of philips dvdr 990 pdf nouns mixed exercise. Most uses of the possessive come under the general head of possession in some sense. To form the possessive of singular nouns, add s, as in homers job or the dogs breakfast. According to the merriamwebster dictionary of english usage, other 18 thcentury grammarians. I want to write it with an apostrophe s when needing possession, but others want to use only the. Aug 08, 2019 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. The exceptions according to fowlers are words such as moses and bridges that end with an s that makes an iz sound, classical names such as zeus and venus, and jesus. S ands complete these sixteen sentences to score your knowledge of possessive s and s. If you have added an s to make a word plural for example, cat. Jul 20, 2010 plural nouns ending ins form their possessive case by adding only an apostrophe. Forming possessives with singular names apa style blog. If the name ends in s, like charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add s.
Jun 25, 2018 it can be confusing for students, letter writers and essayists. Apostrophe rules can be broken into four main categories. If youre an expert english grammarian, mignon fogartys grammar girls quick. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing wikipedia. In this case, you use an s after the noun or the name. Simply put, possessive nouns demonstrate ownership. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. When an added s would lead to three closely bunched s or z sounds just use an apostrophe at the end. To use some examples, the lass s book, the bus s timetable, james s homework, kansas s statute, and so on. But the chicago manual of style says that forming the possessive with names ending in s is just like forming the possessive with names that dont end in s. Add an s to the plural forms of nouns that do not end in s.
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