Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The Principles of Possessives
The Principles of Possessives The Principles of Possessives The Principles of Possessives By Mark Nichol The rules about forming possessives can seem confusing, especially because forms differs according to which style manual a publication is following. But the primary styles are relatively simple. In this post, I will refer only to the two prevalent styles in mainstream publishing: that of the Associated Press Stylebook, the resource of record for American newspaper publishing, as well as some magazines, many websites, and various other forms of written communication, and The Chicago Manual of Style, the bible of American book publishing, as well as many general-circulation periodicals. Guides for certain academic and scholarly subjects may differ. AP Style Newspaper style is simple and minimalist: To form a possessive construction from a singular common noun, add an apostrophe and the letter s: ââ¬Å"The girlââ¬â¢s hair is red.â⬠However, if the noun ends in the letter s and the following noun begins with an s, add an apostrophe only: ââ¬Å"The waitressââ¬â¢ smile was infectious.â⬠Treat a proper noun the same as a singular common noun: ââ¬Å"Jimââ¬â¢s car ran out of gas.â⬠But if a proper noun ends in s, add an apostrophe only: ââ¬Å"Lewisââ¬â¢ training regimen is impressive.â⬠If a plural noun ends in s, use an apostrophe only: ââ¬Å"Catsââ¬â¢ claws are retractable.â⬠If the plural does not end in s, use an apostrophe and an s: ââ¬Å"The menââ¬â¢s room is to the right.â⬠If the possession applies jointly to two singular nouns, apply the apostrophe and s only to the latter noun: ââ¬Å"Green eggs and hamââ¬â¢s popularity has declined.â⬠(In this sense, ââ¬Å"green eggsâ⬠is plural in construction but singular in meaning; itââ¬â¢s a menu item, not a grouping of eggs.) But if the two nouns are distinct, apply the appropriate possessive form for each noun to that noun: ââ¬Å"My hatââ¬â¢s color and my shoesââ¬â¢ color match.â⬠Chicago Style Book style is simultaneously more complex and more consistent: No exception is made depending on whether singular nouns preceding and following the apostrophe end and start with s, respectively: ââ¬Å"The waitressââ¬â¢s smile was infectious.â⬠(However, all plural nouns are treated the same as in AP style.) Some ambiguity occurs, though, with traditional expressions following the ââ¬Å"for (blank) sakeâ⬠form: When the noun ends in an s, an apostrophe alone is employed (ââ¬Å"For goodnessââ¬â¢ sake, put on some clothes!â⬠), while expressions with singular nouns follow the normal style: ââ¬Å"For expedienceââ¬â¢s sake, I faxed the form.â⬠Better yet, in this case, relax the expression: ââ¬Å"For the sake of expedience, I faxed the form.â⬠The primary difference in style between the two resources is that singular proper nouns are always followed by an apostrophe and an s, even if they end in s (or x or z). For plural forms of proper names, however, if the name ends in one of these letters, add an es and an apostrophe: ââ¬Å"We saw the Thomasesââ¬â¢ house.â⬠Otherwise, add an s and an apostrophe only: ââ¬Å"We found the Smithsââ¬â¢ cat.â⬠In the most recent edition of the manual, the style for two special cases has changed: Words ending in an unpronounced s are treated the same as words with a normal s sound (ââ¬Å"Duboisââ¬â¢s translation is betterâ⬠), as are words ending in an -eez sound (ââ¬Å"Xerxesââ¬â¢s defeat was definitiveâ⬠). However, common nouns plural in form but singular in meaning take an apostrophe only: ââ¬Å"Economicsââ¬â¢ complexities are daunting.â⬠The same is true of proper names: ââ¬Å"The Rocky Mountainsââ¬â¢ discovery by European explorers prompted exploitation of mineral and other natural resources.â⬠However, many writers find these constructions awkward, and prefer to relax the constructions: ââ¬Å"The complexities of economics complexities are dauntingâ⬠; ââ¬Å"The discovery of the Rocky Mountains by European explorers prompted exploitation of mineral and other natural resources.â⬠The distinction in AP style between joint possession and separate possession (see the last paragraph in the previous section) also applies to Chicago style. Some other special cases include possessives with the genitive form (ââ¬Å"Three hoursââ¬â¢ delay made all the differenceâ⬠); a possessive form of a phrase that appears attributive (ââ¬Å"The farmersââ¬â¢ market has a wide selection of tomatoes,â⬠but ââ¬Å"I have a Diners Club cardâ⬠); and plurals of publication and composition titles. In the case of such titles, if it is italicized, add an apostrophe and an s (ââ¬Å"I read the New Yorkerââ¬â¢s article about it,â⬠but, because the following title ends in an s, ââ¬Å"The New York Timesââ¬â¢ editorial supports the bill.â⬠) If quotation marks are called for, relax the construction: ââ¬Å"The first line of ââ¬ËMy Life in Verseââ¬â¢ appropriately describes her birth,â⬠rather than ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËMy Life in Verseââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢s first line appropriately describes her birth.â⬠) Possessives followed by a gerund a present participle (a type of verb ending in -ing) acting as a noun should use an apostrophe and an s if singular (ââ¬Å"The doctorââ¬â¢s telling of the story was interruptedâ⬠) and an apostrophe alone if plural (ââ¬Å"Doctorsââ¬â¢ taking on of more responsibility are a factorâ⬠). It might be better, however, to revise the sentence in such cases: ââ¬Å"The doctorââ¬â¢s account of the story was interruptedâ⬠; ââ¬Å"Quality of care is affected when doctors take on more responsibility.â⬠Also, this grammatical structure should not be confused with the similar participle form, which is not possessive: ââ¬Å"Doctors taking on more responsibility are likely to offer a lower quality of care.â⬠The apostrophe is optional when a noun (or a pronoun) follows a preposition: ââ¬Å"They thought of their friends moving away as a personal affrontâ⬠could also be rendered ââ¬Å"They thought of their friendsââ¬â¢ moving away as a personal affront,â⬠where moving refers to an act of moving that ââ¬Å"belongsâ⬠to their friends. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases15 Types of DocumentsPersonification vs. Anthropomorphism
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