Else's or Elses' or Elses [closed]

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In the statement:

In life, try to often make yourself a minor character in someone elses novel.

where - if anywhere - does the apostrophe go?

It's a possessive form: else's.
– Lawrence
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:05 — Lawrence, Nov 17, 2015 at 11:05

Nuclear Hoagie · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-17 11:05:49Z

14

It's "else's". Here, someone else is a singular compound noun, and the novel belongs to them. The possessive apostrophe is used.

answered Nov 17, 2015 at 11:05

Nuclear Hoagie

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1

Thank you. I will tick this. Is there ANY time that it's elses' ?
– Daniel Stowers
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:08
3

I can't think of any situation where you'd ever have the plural elses, since it's either an adverb, adjective, or part of a singular or uncountable compound noun. So, with no plural form, you'd never see the plural possessive form elses'.
– Nuclear Hoagie
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:39
An established user like yourself should know to vote to close questions like this rather than answer them.
– curiousdannii
Nov 17, 2015 at 13:00
3

Thank you for answering this question and not closing it, it's the first google result when looking and it explains why it is how it is and isn't how it's not.
– phazei
Jun 22, 2018 at 17:09
2

It would be a real shame to have closed this question. I too found this question and answer helpful.
– Eric Seastrand
Apr 3, 2020 at 17:57

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