1

The possessive form (the car of Jesus) would be Jesus' car.

If we say Jesus is 11. Would it also be Jesus' 11? Jesus's 11?

Improve this question
8
  • 1
    Since the contraction of is has the exact same sound as the noun plural, noun possessive, and 3SgPres verb inflection (/-əz/ after sibilants, /-s/ after voiceless consonants, /-z/ elsewhere), it's hard to tell the difference. If Jesus is pronounced as in English /'dʒizəz/, it wouldn't be contracted with is. If it's pronounced as in Spanish /he'sus/, as a normal name, it would get a normal /-əz/ suffix. That's the only way I could make sense out of the sentence Jesus is 11.
    – John Lawler
    Sep 22, 2014 at 20:24
  • 1
    Your possessive is incorrect, although a common error. We only omit the s if the word ends in s because it's a plural.
    – Barmar
    Sep 22, 2014 at 20:25
  • AFAIK, there's no similar rule about contractions for words ending in s.
    – Barmar
    Sep 22, 2014 at 20:26
  • @Barmar Not so. There are plenty of writers (and style guides) who use only an apostrophe to indicate possessives of proper nouns ending in s.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Sep 22, 2014 at 20:45
  • I guess it's changed since I learned the rule when I was growing up.
    – Barmar
    Sep 22, 2014 at 20:55

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

In general. people avoid forming a contraction with a word ending in S and the verb "is".

Of all the diet and fitness "experts", Richard Simmmons's probably the one I like least. It's not only strange-looking, it's a whole mouthful of mumbles when one tries to say it aloud.

It falls into the same category as contracting "am not" as "ain't". It isn't advisable.

Improve this answer
1
  • +2 for 'a whole mouthful of mumbles' which I'd perversely and satirically rephrase as 'mumbles's a mouthful' ;-P
    – Howard Pautz
    Sep 22, 2014 at 23:42
0

I think the problem is using proper names in a contraction---what is the rule? For instance, "America's got Talent" is ok, because the apostrophe subs for the letters "ha" in has got Talent. But what about "Travis' got Talent?" That should be wrong because the apostrophe would be substituting for the entire word, "has". So it should be Travis's Got Talent, the apostrophe therefore subbing for "ha" like in America's GOt Talent. Unless they are both wrong....

Improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.