Questions tagged [apostrophe]
Questions relating to the use of the apostrophe (’).
142
questions
143
votes
6answers
339k views
“My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner”
I just stumbled upon a Reddit post titled:
My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner. How does it look?
Sure enough, the top comment immediately points out that it should be "my wife's and my". ...
42
votes
3answers
97k views
Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe?
Many questions already ask about this topic (What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in "‑s"? , When did it become correct to add an “s” to a singular possessive already ending in “‑...
305
votes
10answers
216k views
What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym / initialism?
For example, if I wanted to write the equivalent of
There are many automated teller machines in this city.
Would it be
There are many ATMs in this city.
or
There are many ATM's in this city.
(...
23
votes
5answers
96k views
User’s Guide vs Users’ Guide
I’ve been looking over what has been posted regarding the use of ’s.
I used to be a Technical Writer (years ago). The title of one of our training documents was Users’ Guide. Once, a coworker said ...
24
votes
3answers
7k views
“Nikki's and Alice's X” vs. “Nikki and Alice's X”
Which option is grammatical?
There will be readings from Nikki Giovanni’s and Alice Walker’s writings.
There will be readings from Nikki Giovanni and Alice Walker's writings.
Saying it out ...
139
votes
8answers
273k views
Plurals of acronyms, letters, numbers — use an apostrophe or not?
When I was in high school back in the 1970s, I was taught that to make a plural of an acronym, a letter, or a number, one should add an apostrophe and "s". Like I would have written this sentence, "......
61
votes
7answers
30k views
When did it become correct to add an “s” to a singular possessive already ending in “‑s”?
According to my grammar book, but at variance to the answer to this question, the correct singular possessive if a word ends in ‑s is:
James’s car
The grammar book allows exceptions for historical ...
41
votes
6answers
64k views
Can one explain the different distributions of the Saxon and the analytic (Norman) (periphrastic, 'of') genitive
I gave a quick answer to part of this question which had not been covered by previous answers, trying to clarify the reason you would say time of decoding but not decoding’s time. I said it was ’s ...
32
votes
4answers
3k views
Possessive of a word that is already possessive
If the cricket ground Lord's is a possessive, what if you want to describe something belonging to Lord's? Would you say:
I was very impressed by Lord's's customer services.
It doesn't look right, ...
43
votes
13answers
67k views
Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. “I'ven't”)?
I've seen a contraction of two words. I can't see why it wouldn't've been possible to have been contracted twice. Is it possible and how should it be punctuated?
Update: Ok, to sum up the answers ...
17
votes
4answers
65k views
What is the pronunciation of the possessive words that already end in s? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When did it become correct to add an ‘s’ to a singular possessive already ending in ‘s’?
Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe?
My ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Attributive or Possessive noun: the Dell Company's staff. or the Dell Company staff? [duplicate]
In the following is it better to use a possessive noun with an apostrophe or an attributive noun without an apostrophe?
The following list details the assumptions that have been made in
...
15
votes
2answers
19k views
Is “ ’s ” ever correct for pluralization?
A relatively modern dictionary (I don’t know which one, because we’ve cut out the pages and used them as wallpaper in our bathroom, but I know it’s less than 20 years old) indicates that R’s is one ...
57
votes
1answer
342k views
Is there an apostrophe in a master's degree?
The question asks it all really. When referring to a master's degree, do you use an apostrophe or not? That is, is it "a master's" or "a masters"?
4
votes
2answers
25k views
User’s/Users’/Users Group [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“User's guide” vs. “users' guide”
If referring to a Users Group (meaning a group made up of multiple individual users who have some control of ...
2
votes
3answers
5k views
Possessive Form of a Proper Noun Ending in a Plural Noun Ending in “s”? [duplicate]
I don't think this has yet been covered in any of the other questions on similar topics. There was one other very similar question, however, it was not specifically talking about the case where the ...
25
votes
5answers
13k views
Why did they spell it “URL’s”?
I was reading this documentation file of some software and note the plural spelling of this abbreviation is “URL’s”. Why isn’t it “URLs”?
10
votes
3answers
2k views
A noun adjunct / the possessive case
Sometimes it’s possible to use either a noun adjunct or the possessive case.
the shop door
the shop’s door
However, in certain phrases it’s not OK to do so.
the ship’s crew (the ship crew is ...
19
votes
3answers
18k views
Apostrophe in “beginners guide”
In the phrase beginners guide to …, where should the apostrophe go?
Beginner’s Guide to […]
Beginners’ Guide to […]
In my particular case, this is the title for a presentation so there are multiple ...
8
votes
2answers
23k views
Is “mens” a valid word?
I've been living in Ireland for almost a year now and I start noticing they use the word "mens" a lot. I can see it used in:
Shops, to denote the area where you can find men's clothes
In sport, when ...
6
votes
2answers
147k views
Plural possessive with separate possessions
When we refer to a house that belongs to a family, we say "family's house". Pluralizing family gives us "families". Referring to the houses of several families, we say "families' houses". Forming the ...
30
votes
3answers
7k views
Why is there a distinction between “its” and “it's”?
While I know technically the English language has a distinction because when there's a conflict between the possessive form and a contraction, the contraction wins. That is:
Its is the possessive ...
16
votes
1answer
6k views
Is it common for place names to lose their possessive apostrophe?
On a road trip, my wife and I drove by Kings Dominion. We debated whether this should in actuality be King’s Dominion. It seemed that it ought to be possessive, or possibly plural possessive.
Upon ...
22
votes
6answers
11k views
Etymology of “let us” and “let's”
The verb let means “allow”, “permit”, “not prevent or forbid”, “pass, go or come” and it's used with an object and the bare infinitive.
Are you going to let me drive or not?
Don't let him ...
17
votes
5answers
97k views
What is the possessive of “you guys”?
Most people seem to stumble over this. The problem can arise with any multi-word phrase that needs a possessive but ends in S, and so sounds awkward using the clitic apostrophe-S. I've heard this ...
15
votes
1answer
3k views
Origins of possessive pronouns
If apostrophe + s is the acceptable way of denoting a genitive in English, is it possible that possessive pronouns, such as hers, ours and yours, started life as possessive adjectives with apostrophe +...
34
votes
6answers
149k views
“Do's” and “don'ts” or “do's” and “don't's”?
I am making a list to my children telling them what are some of the things they should do and shouldn't. Under one side is "do", and the other is "don't".
Would I write "do's" and "don't's"?
Cause ...
26
votes
2answers
54k views
Is the possessive of “one” spelled “ones” or “one's”?
I've been confused about this as long as I can remember. Should it be:
One should do ones duty.
or
One should do one's duty.
I'm guessing it should be the latter. But that doesn't sit well ...
18
votes
1answer
177k views
Yours vs. your's
Which is correct “Is that yours?” or “Is that your’s?”?
I ask because it is possessive, so I would think it would be the latter, but I typically use and see the former usage.
Are there particular ...
8
votes
5answers
118k views
What’s the correct plural possessive of “kids”?
I know that children’s books is correct, but for some reason I want to say kids books, even though I know that it’s a plural possessive noun ending in an s.
A quick search on the web turns up Barnes ...
12
votes
3answers
45k views
Do things use apostrophe for indicating possessive? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is using the possessive 's correct in “the car's antenna”?
If someone owns something I would say: Mom's car.
But if the owner is not a person, does it ...
26
votes
3answers
125k views
Where [if anywhere] should the apostrophe go in “three days work”?
Which is correct?
1 Three day's work
2 Three days' work
3 Three days work
I would probably guess (2) is right, since the work belongs to the three days ("three days of work"). But I'm ...
23
votes
6answers
70k views
Is an apostrophe with a decade (e.g. 1920’s) generally considered “incorrect”?
I typically don’t use an apostrophe with plurals in any situation, but I always assumed that the use of an apostrophe in constructions like acronyms:
Forty BA’s were given out to students this year....
5
votes
3answers
7k views
Where should the apostrophe be placed in “Goats Milk”?
Milk from goats is available in supermarkets. On the shelves of our local store in England, I have found cartons boldly labelled all three of
Goats Milk
Goat's Milk
Goats' Milk
Most brands use ...
11
votes
4answers
45k views
Is “what’s” a correct short form of “what does”?
E.g. “What’s he think?”
Usually ’s is short for “is” so I don’t know.
9
votes
3answers
24k views
Proper Apostrophe Usage with Initialisms: CCS' or CCS's?
I work with a company whose name is frequently reduced to an initialism (acronym). Let's say the name is "Cool Computer Systems" (CCS). I am engaged in an ongoing, bloody battle with the ...
7
votes
4answers
879 views
Using apostrophes correctly
I've read a great article about the usage of apostrophes. But there are still some points that are unclear.
Why do we say...
school project but not school's project?
car service but not car's ...
4
votes
2answers
14k views
Possessive-S/apostrophe in a list, including the first and second person
When adding possessive-S/apostrophe to a list, the rule is only the last person has the apostrophe if the item is shared, or everyone has one if they have the items each, e.g.
John and Mary's houses =...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
How should I use a possessive apostrophe when a name is between commas? [duplicate]
Is this the correct use of an apostrophe when showing a name and relationship?
When was your father, Robert's, wedding?
Thanks!
0
votes
4answers
771 views
Should possessive 's be used when there is no possession in the strict ('this is John's property') sense involved?
I was trying to write “I was using the lecture's flow of logic”, as to say that I was following the logic that was in the lecture. But I am corrected by a spell-checker.
I tried to google it, but ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
Achilles heel and Achilles tendon
Studying possessive apostrophes I have searched on ELU the questions correlated to this matter.
I have found the following: «What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?» and &...
7
votes
2answers
19k views
Possessive form for a surname ending with “z”
What is the proper possessive form for a surname that ends with “z”? Is it z’ or z’s?
13
votes
3answers
1k views
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
For example, possessive nouns (both proper and common) are written with a apostrophe before the final s:
...
2
votes
1answer
3k views
Pronunciation of the apostrophe
Is there a rule regarding the pronunciation (or lack of) of the apostrophe?
I have seen this on tv:
"Enchantress' wrath" pronounced as "Echantresses wrath"
"Gus' schedule" pronounced as "Guses ...
3
votes
3answers
21k views
How do I pronounce “s's” and “s'”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
Pronouncing possessive words that already end in s
How do I pronounce possessives that end with the awkward "s's" ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Possessive form of coordinated noun phrases?
Which of the following is accurate in British English to describe our own wedding?
Alex and Jen's Wedding
Alex's and Jen's Wedding
Alex and Jens' Wedding
12
votes
5answers
4k views
What rules determine the apostrophe placement in “ham 'n eggs” and similar expressions?
In expressions such as "ham 'n eggs", the conjunction 'n appears to replace and, yet there is only one apostrophe to indicate the missing a and none for the missing d (i.e., no "ham 'n' eggs").
Is ...
61
votes
3answers
538k views
“Doctor's appointment” or “doctors appointment”?
I've looked this up online, but I can't find any explanations from reasonably credible sources, so I'm posting my question here! (Was that a comma splice?)
Should I refer to the appointment that I ...
4
votes
4answers
3k views
apostrophe that goes with a noun which precedes a relative clause
Suppose you wanted to place a possessive apostrophe in this sentence:
Billy, who goes to my school, favorite game is tag.
I know it's not standard, but I can hear kids (or older) saying an s sound ...
6
votes
2answers
36k views
How do you make a word like “parent(s)” possessive? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
"Please submit your and your parent(s)' federal tax returns." Is the possessive of "parent(s)'" correctly formatted in ...
