An apostrophic dilemma - Marquette University Law School ... the boys' attitude the universities' entrance requirements. You should, of course, observe your publisher's or instructor's requirements. Smiths is the plural for Smith. When to Use an Apostrophe: eContent Pro Jesus's or Jesus'? Which is the Correct Plural Possessive ... The apostrophe is also used for general terms to indicate the singular possessive case. In all nouns, an apostrophe and a suffix - the letter "s" - are added at the end to make them possessive nouns. Editing Tips: Punctuation in AP Style | Proofreading Academy AP style also has rules for how to use possessive apostrophes when a word ends in "s." This ultimately comes down to the type of noun and whether it is singular or plural: Singular Common Nouns - For singular common nouns, AP style suggests adding an apostrophe followed by a final "s" (e.g., The cutlass's blade was sharp). You belong to me. Editing Tips: Punctuation in Chicago Style | Proofreading ... " However, that is one of those words that sounds perfectly awful with the added "es" sound, so many writers will put the apostrophe after the word States' and be done with it. The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s. This means that you will not know whether a thing belongs to 1 or numerous groups until you will see the sentence itself. The possessive of a plural name is always formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s (the Smiths' dog, the Harrises' family home). They seem to have no other usage that would make sense. United States. The use of an apostrophe in the possessive form came about because the possessive use to be written as -es in all cases, but early printers chose to omit the e and replace it with an apostrophe. As for showing ownership of the United States, it is a singular word, so the apostrophe -s is appropriate: "the United States's concern in all this. Better Writing: Proper Use of Possessive Form It is one of the most frequently misused punctuation marks because many contractions have the same pronunciation as unrelated possessives (e.g., "you're . 1. James, should it be "James' mother" or "James's mother"? To show the possession of nouns that end in s, follow the rules . The singular forms make the possessive with the addition of an apostrophe and an s (Paris's, Kansas's, Cyprus's, Barbados's); for nouns with a plural form, add only the apostrophe for the possessive (United States', Seychelles', Philippines'). Most plural nouns already end in s. In this case, to indicate possession, add only an apostrophe to the end of the word. If you are required to follow AP style in your writing, this is the correct way. Click to expand. Students take turns to create a phrase by flipping over a People card, an Apostrophe card and an Object card. Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to make names possessive. CMOS 7.20 states that in the case of a place-name ending with "s," the "s's" formation is not used; e.g., the United States'. 841 views Josie Lea , Contracting Specialist (2019-present) Answered 2 years ago Although terms such as employees' cafeteria sometimes appear without an apostrophe, Chicago dispenses with the apostrophe only in proper names (often corporate names) that do not use one or where there is clearly no possessive meaning. As examples of the latter Chicago lists: Publishers Weekly; Diners Club; Department of Veterans Affairs To make a regular plural word into a possessive, you just add an apostrophe: the states' legislators. we need to use a possessive 's - with an apostrophe - like this: . Nation should logically be capitalized if it's the first word in a sentence.. Should nation be capitalized in a sentence? With possessives, the apostrophe is used, typically in combination with an "s," to represent that a word literally or conceptually "possesses" what follows it. Likely named for the deceased daughter of the English . Tricky apostrophes… even some adults struggle with the concept! Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s.And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's. One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s. Examples: In school, we are taught that Thomas' is the proper way to write about something that belongs to Thomas. Here in the United States, we don't see many possessive apostrophes (or periods, for that matter) in street signs. #2. Others also add another s. See Rules 1b and 1c of Apostrophes for more discussion. However, 7.17 uses Kansas's as an example of proper usage. They must discuss and decide whether the phrase created makes logical sense. . Plural nouns that do end in an s (or s sound): For a plural noun that ends in s, es, or an s sound, do not add an additional s to the end to indicate possession. Exception: Irregular plurals that do not end in s need an apostrophe and s to take the possessive form. Is that correct? To make it easier for the less educated among us, here is the Ama rule: Any plural that ends with "s" requires an apostrophe. The Virgin Islands' people are very friendly. . Use an Apostrophe to Show Possession To show the possession of a singular noun, simply add an apostrophe + s. Example: the cat's scratching post. The apostrophe is a punctuation mark that serves three purposes: (1) to form a contraction, (2) to form the possessive case of a noun, and (3) to form the plural of an individual character. In the United States, for example, the president or place of New York are proper nouns. Anyway, I really want to the answer to be that the apostrophe does belong there, because I have a law review article with "States' Right" in the title ("Why Talking About 'States' Rights' Cannot Avoid the Need for . The apostrophe no one gets right. ." not "The United States (U.S.) are. The United Nations stylebook (somewhere) recommends just an apostrophe after the name — United Nations'.For "UN" — UN's. Should it be nations or nation's? Plural Possessive: "Senior Military College's" becomes SMC's. It is hard to debate 1 and 3. Here are some examples of when the letter s is added to a possessive form. Apostrophes Apostrophes have four main roles: creating possessive nouns (both singular and plural), creating possessive indefinite pronouns, representing omitted letters in a word, and forming plurals of letters and numbers. Example #2: 0-4 the United States ' cold weather. Apostrophe. Dec 8, 2006. There is a folk etymology that the possessive 's was originally a contraction of "his", as in " Tom, his upcoming visit to the United States". In point 1 of section I, "Elementary Rules of Usage," written by Strunk, the influential sage of the page demands, "Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.". The single possessive is formed by adding an -'s to the end of the noun. The style guide for the Economist (magazine) states: Although singular in other respects, the United States, the United Nations, the Philippines, etc, have a plural possessive apostrophe: eg, Who will be the United States' next president? Here in the United States, children are introduced to apostrophes in contractions in 2nd grade and possessives in 3rd grade. "States" is already the plural of "state" (as "Charles" is not the plural of "Charle"), and plurals form their possessive with the simple addition of an apostrophe. The traditional grammar rule is that a plural noun which ends in "(e)s" only requires an apostrophe in print to signal that . Possessives of abbreviations are formed like those of nouns that are spelled out. There is some confusion when using abbreviations because making the abbreviations possessive may be different than making the entire original words possessive: The United States' geography is so varied and interesting. Contractions (e.g., let's, don't, couldn't, it's, she's) have a bad reputation.Many argue that they have no place at all in formal writing. However, throughout their reading and writing, the opportunity to discuss or review the use of apostrophes would be a missed opportunity. But when the "states" is formalized as part of a name, as in United States, is it really . The United States' policy For multiple nouns, turn each into possessive form if the referents possess a propriety individually. Use an Apostrophe to Show Possession To show the possession of a singular noun, simply add an apostrophe + s. Example: the cat's scratching post. Smith's is not the place. The U.S.'s geography is so varied and interesting. . True. In grammar speak, the apostrophe shows the possessive of nouns. False. . When a name contains its own plural, some styles call for different rules. 1. Here's an example: Dick has one bike.Jane has two bike's. One other bonus tip: it's is possessive, and that's why there is an apostrophe. For example: mathematics' rules politics' true meaning Highland Hills' late mayor the United States' role. Possessives Apostrophes are used to show possession. United States's or United States'? the more clueless people stay." I came across an article filed by NBC News a few minutes ago on South Dakota Gov. "United States'" is the correct possessive form we should use. As a result, Ross's hat and the United States' history can both be correct. Nouns plural in form, singular in meaning. Rule 1c. In these cases, only an apostrophe is needed: As a science, economics' status has long been debated. NOTE 1: Those nouns that form the plural with something other than an 's' (irregular nouns) also take the apostrophe after the completed plural noun form. The possessive of a plural noun (ending in s) takes an apostrophe. 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. . The singular possessive is formed by adding -'s; the plural possessive, by adding an apostrophe only. The possessive of a plural name is always formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s (the Smiths' dog, the Harrises' family home). There's no adjective "United Statean", but if there was, U.S. could just as easily stand for it as U.S.'s. Is It Smiths Or Smith's? A question from Julia in the United States about possessives. Dutch Pronunciation American Sign Language This is the usage of the United States Government Printing Office and of the Oxford University Press. The rule that nouns singular in meaning but ending in s also form the possessive by adding an apostrophe is perhaps not so well understood. If ambiguity threatens, use of to avoid the possessive. Examples: On the other hand, Webster's tells us that in the United States, November 11 is known as "Veterans Day"—plural but not possessive. Sons is a plural form of Son and Son's is the possessive form of son. The United States . The last sound in the plural possessive United States' is pronounced with an /s/ not /z/ sound. For singular nouns and irregular plurals (those not ending in s ), you should add 's to the end of the word. The apostrophe ( ' ) has three uses: contractions, plurals, and possessives. a. His NLJ interview included the following discussion of differences of opinion among Supreme Court Justices regarding the use of apostrophes with plural possessives. To show the possession of nouns that end in s, follow the rules . NOUNS PLURAL IN FORM, SINGULAR IN MEANING: Add only an apostrophe: mathematics' rules, measles' effects. We include the apostrophe directly after the "S" at the end of "States." "U.S. interests" can mean "Ameri can interests" rather than "Ameri ca's interests", so an apostrophe would not necessarily be used there anyway. Add apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun that does not end in s: Find more similar . The plural possessive is formed by just adding an apostrophe to the end of the noun. venqax on January 28, 2018 11:40 pm. DO NOT make this error: 0-5 the United State 's cold weather. Note that the apostrophe follows the final s in the word States, since the term is plural in form, referring to the fifty states that are united to form the nation. Nation is always capitalized when referring to the United States of America. Add only an apostrophe. 0-6 the United States ' cold weather (United States already ends in an (s) so only add an apostrophe) Comparing singular to plural possession: 0-7 The boy 's baseball . Both are correct. First, let's look at how English possessives work. Below are some examples of . For singular nouns ending in s just add the apostrophe. A Tip for the Possessive Apostrophe. Apostrophes Apostrophes have four main roles: creating possessive nouns (both singular and plural), creating possessive indefinite pronouns, representing omitted letters in a word, and forming plurals of letters and numbers. 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. The other is exception applies only to the phrases "for goodness' sake . Here are some examples from the Web that do not follow the rule: The first possessive apostrophe the BGN permitted was the one in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The general rule for making something possessive in English is to add an apostrophe and the letter s ('s) to the end. The United States Board on Geographic Names, which has responsibility for formal naming of municipalities and geographic features, has deprecated the use of possessive apostrophes since 1890 so as not to show ownership of the place. MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS. In English, nouns become adjectives all the time: a computer's malfunction is also called a computer malfunction.One of Shakespeare's plays is a Shakespeare play.. We have taken a look at each of the uses for apostrophes below. There are four ways to use the apostrophe to show ownership or belonging. We have taken a look at each of the uses for apostrophes below. 1. The first is when a word is plural in form but singular in meaning (e.g., economics or United States). Which is correct sons or son's? 2 and 4 are where the big problems lie. File this under "the more things change. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark that serves a variety of purposes. Answering students' questions… "Apostrophe s" ('s) is used for several reasons in English, such as for the contracted form of is and has, and also for indicating possession (belonging to someone).In general, we add 's to a singular noun and add ' to a plural noun ending in ‑s.For example, we would say the student's book (for one student) and the students' classroom (for . A more recent historical reference point is the "States' Rights Democrats" of the 1940s: I think they did use the apostrophe. Creating possessive nouns Examples: My car's tires are all flat. b. Rule: To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first; then immediately use the apostrophe. This belongs to that. No additional "s" is needed. This is done in the same way as the possessives for these two other country names in the same grammatical situation: United States' and Seychelles'. (singular, indicates the tires of one car) We've come a long way from simply asking ourselves whether to use James' or James's, but English is a language that evolved over time and grew complicated along the way. I propose that 2 should be SMCs and 4 should be SMCs' for the following reasons. The current Supreme Court reporter of decisions, Frank Wagner, is retiring at the end of this month. Place names in the United States do not use the possessive apostrophe on federal maps and signs. The officials in Cambridge bowed to public pressure and reversed that ban on possessive apostrophes in signs marking new streets. 6. Apostrophes and False Possessives. The United Nations' new rules are coming into effect soon. In school, we are taught that Jesus' is the proper way to write about something that belongs to Jesus. The possessive of United States is United States'. . This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Canada's resources United States' budget deficit New Orleans' restaurants the Whites' cottage Jones' skates Dickens' writings Second, you still use a lone apostrophe when making place names that end in a plural ending with S possessive, like "the United States" and "Beverly Hills." So you'd write about "Beverly Hills' recent tax hike" and "politics' downside," and both of those would have just an apostrophe and no extra S at the end of "Beverly . When the singular form of a noun ending in s looks like a plural and the plural form is the same as the singular, the possessive of both singular and plural is formed by the addition of an apostrophe only. 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