Timeline for How to write the possessive of a proper noun that ends in a plural noun?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
24 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Sep 3, 2023 at 16:49 | comment | added | tparker | Possible duplicate of english.stackexchange.com/questions/363229/… | |
| Sep 3, 2023 at 14:45 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | The material is duplicated, and the thorough answer, which is not too broad in scope, should alone be kept. 'That question doesn’t answer mine' is obviously incorrect. | |
| Sep 3, 2023 at 13:50 | comment | added | John Lawler | How about Greek names? Parmenides's, Socrates's, Heraclitus's? | |
| Sep 3, 2023 at 12:01 | comment | added | Laurel♦ | While this question is answered by a paragraph in the linked question's second answer, I think this one should be kept open since that other answer only happened because Sven Yargs is so thorough. Other people who wish to write an answer to this question might not want to answer the other question about singular names like "James". | |
| Sep 3, 2023 at 11:56 | history | edited | Laurel♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
deleted 113 characters in body
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| Sep 3, 2023 at 9:30 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | 'James' and 'Springfield Arms' are alike nouns plural in form but taking singular agreement. The fact that one is an open compound makes no difference; the most widely accepted rule for forming the Saxon genitive is pronunciation dependent. Hence James' hat or James's hat, depending on how the writer chooses to pronounce it, but the Springfield Arms’ address. // The duplicate even has the example Callaway Gardens' former curator. | |
| Sep 3, 2023 at 9:18 | history | reopened |
Heartspring KillingTime Joachim |
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| S Sep 3, 2023 at 2:01 | review | Reopen votes | |||
| Sep 3, 2023 at 9:18 | |||||
| S Sep 3, 2023 at 2:01 | history | edited | Walter | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Edited to explain that this is not a duplicate.
Added to review
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| Aug 31, 2023 at 23:31 | comment | added | Walter | That question doesn’t answer mine. That question is about singular names that happen to end in “-s”, like “James”, whereas mine is about a compound singular name that ends with a plural noun, even if it’s treated as singular. The end result may be similar, but the substance – and confusion caused – is different enough that it matters, IMO, which is why people keep asking this question (like the ones I linked in the OP). Nevertheless, @tinfoil-hat below posted what I think is the right answer, by showing that it’s ultimately up to stylistic choice rather than covered by any hard rule. | |
| Aug 31, 2023 at 14:48 | history | closed |
Edwin Ashworth KillingTime Chenmunka |
Duplicate of Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe? | |
| Aug 31, 2023 at 14:11 | review | Close votes | |||
| Aug 31, 2023 at 14:48 | |||||
| Aug 31, 2023 at 13:56 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | Does this answer your question? Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe? // “Arms” is a plural-form noun treated as singular (the Springfield Arms is about a mile further on). The duplicate says that form follows pronunciation, and I doubt whether two syllables (requiring 's) would be used by many. The situation is different with the Jones' / Jones's house, both variants being used. | |
| Aug 31, 2023 at 3:34 | vote | accept | Walter | ||
| Aug 31, 2023 at 2:00 | answer | added | Tinfoil Hat | timeline score: 3 | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 23:47 | comment | added | Walter | Personally, I’d say “arms-es”, and “Arms’s” seems the most logical as the full name is a singular noun. But I’m skeptical of relying on people’s subjective speech patterns, including my own (for instance, “I and my friends” seems logical to me, even though I know it’s incorrect). | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 21:37 | comment | added | MetaEd | The first question to ask yourself is: how would I say it aloud? | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 14:04 | comment | added | Walter | Personally I prefer using apostrophe-s for any singular nouns and names that end in “-s”, regardless of what they are or how they’re used. (I know some style guides have special rules for things like certain classical names, or whether the final “-s” is silent, or whether the next word starts with an “s-”, etc., but I personally think that’s all overly pedantic, so I ignore it.) | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 13:40 | comment | added | Peter | I believe it is the final "s" that matters. Though "James' hat" is often pronounced like "James's hat". | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 13:40 | comment | added | Stuart F | Google Books suggests Sergeant-at-Arms's is common, but struggling to find examples with a pub. Some people would say you shouldn't use apostrophe-S with an inanimate object, but I think that's a little too pedantic. | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 12:56 | comment | added | Walter | @Peter Yes, but “Arms” is a plural noun, not just a singular name that happens to end in -s, so I want to know whether that makes a difference. | |
| Aug 30, 2023 at 12:43 | comment | added | Peter | A hint: James is a singular name. The hat belonging to James is James’ hat. | |
| S Aug 30, 2023 at 11:37 | review | First questions | |||
| Aug 30, 2023 at 12:17 | |||||
| S Aug 30, 2023 at 11:37 | history | asked | Walter | CC BY-SA 4.0 |