First, a plural noun which already ends in s takes only a following apostrophe. Dec 04, 2015 at last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your apostrophe david marsh simon griffins irreverent pocketsized guide to a tricky piece of punctuation is the perfect stocking filler. Mignot fogarty, better known as grammar girl provides the public with an accessible reference on punctuation. Grammar girl people have been confused about apostrophes. How to make singular and plural words that end with s possessive. In a sentence such as the teacher preferred the girls work to the.
The general rule stated at that paragraph extends to the possessives of proper nouns, including names ending in s, x, or z. The apostrophe or character is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark. Mar 16, 2008 need help submitting your writing to literary journals or book publishersliterary agents. I was taught that the s was only used if the noun was plural and ending in s and s was used for the singular so i would go for jamess even though it. Whereas in the past it was thought bad form to add an s, style guides are now pointing in that direction, even ones in the us where grammar tends to.
To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es. Its i often see people crisscross the uses of these words. Grammar girl quick and dirty tips for better writing pdf. Its helpful, funny, and the cover design is beautiful. The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. But just between you and me, you can use this shootfromthehip style in personal email. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural, if there is one owner, add s to the singular the smiths car vs smiths car. As the post states, to show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first inglises. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is a perfect match for teaching english to young adult esl students. The possessive is much a looser concept than ownership. At last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your apostrophe david marsh simon griffins irreverent pocketsized guide to a tricky piece of punctuation is the perfect stocking filler. But what if the name is sanchez or church or williams rule. Its likely that at some point weve all asked whether or not an apostrophe was appropriate for the first noun when two nouns.
It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. Examples include the boys bike, the dogs leash, and bobs house. With names or singular nouns that end in s, x or z, we usually add an. An apostrophe is used to show that certain letters have been omitted from a word contractions, i. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Fucking apostrophes has been added to your cart add to cart. An apostrophe can show possession or indicate that letters or numbers have been omitted. Learn some common mistakes with apostrophes and how to properly use them. Aug 10, 20 apostrophe rules english grammar lesson to improve writings skills punctuation marks duration.
Simon griffin is funny, piercing, and loyal to all the fucking apostrophe rules that have long been forgotten. If the possessive involves a last name with s or z, you can add either. In his book troublesome words, author bill bryson lambastes tesco for this. The many ways to use apostrophes everything after z by. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. The lettereating tiny elf named apostrophe uses his powers to gift characters with possessions in this clever minibook that teaches about punctuation. What is the proper possessive form for a surname that ends with z. Aug 12, 2019 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Apostrophe is placed after the letter z in names ending in this. An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like esthers family or janets cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 70,293 views. To show the plural of a name that ends in s, ch, or z, add es.
She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. The solution was to use an apostrophe after the plural s as in girls dresses. The grammatically correct way to write your sentence is i want to be buzzs girl. Rules for plural and possessive names merriamwebster. Therefore, write christmas at the inglises or christmas at the inglises homehouseresidence. These guides, however, only consider names ending in s. See rules 1b and 1c of apostrophes for more discussion.
We could not in good conscience sanction the pluralizing of book or movie titles. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. At last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your. With plural nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe after the s. I suspect, given the guiding principles stated in the guides, that these rules could be extended to names ending in z when the z is pronounced s. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. If you dont care about the color of the cover, then by all means order this book.
Apostrophe rules can be broken into four main categories. If you think of the program as belonging to the girls, then write girls. Secondly, that it is optional to use s or ss with names ending in s, x or z. In the first example, context makes it clear that moses is not plural as nobody who knows english well does not know that moses is a singular prop. Read on to discover all the apostrophe rules youll ever need to know. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. This small mark has two primary uses, signifying either 1. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. The possessive of proper nouns like perez with or without an s. As a rule of thumb, adding the s to the apostrophe is a good idea.
To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound. Are you confused about how to show the plural and the possessive of certain names. Mostly, folks overcorrect by using its inappropriately. The style that many of us are accustomed tosimply adding an apostrophe after the s e. Lastly, that if an apostrophe appears after the s, then the word is likely a plural ex. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people. Apostrophe rules english grammar lesson to improve writings skills punctuation marks duration.
You wont get arrested by the grammar police for using your brain. To show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. That may well be a more elegant solution but it hasnt answered the question, which i would like to see. Add es for names ending in s or z and add s for everything else. Being a punctuation fanatic myself, this book was engaging, funny and absolutely tothepoint in its description of the current situation of fucking apostrophes.
Many respected authorities recommend that practically all singular nouns, including those ending with a sibilant sound, have possessive forms with an extra s after the apostrophe so that the spelling. Feb 27, 2015 everything you need to know about this little mark. In both guides pronunciation has an impact on the use of s after the apostrophe. Want to know when to use the apostrophe and when to skip it. I know there are varying opinions on which is correct, james or jamess. How do you use an apostrophe with last name ending in z. Most punctuation marks fall between words to separate ideas or grammatical clauses, but the apostrophe is used within words and to combine multiple words. To use the apostrophe to show possession, follow these guidelines. I tried ordering it twice, once from amazon and once from a 3rd party seller and both times the book looked nothing like the one i borrowed i attached pictures for comparison.
The history of the apostrophe in this interview about his book bad english, ammon shea explains the many ways people have been confused about apostrophes over the centuries. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smiths ferrari, and i visited the smiths house. I would recommend for anyone wishing to brush up on their apostrophes. With singular nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe and s. Need help submitting your writing to literary journals or book publishersliterary agents. A phenomenon named grammar girl outlines 9 ways to use an apostrophe but left me unclear whether its a girls school or girls school. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime. She wants to know why bosss has an apostrophe and an s but chris has. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. To show singular possession of a name ending in ch, add s on the end of the name. The english possessive of french nouns ending in a silent s, x, or z is.
When pronouncing a possessive name, we add the sound z to the end of the name. The internet has extensive debate about apostrophes. As a bit of a grammar nerd, i bought this for laughs, but its also really helpful. Everything you need to know about this little mark. Apostrophe definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Writers group ever struggle over the inclusion of an apostrophe when two nouns appear next to one another. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for. We do not double the s or add apostrophe s after another s to indicate possession. The apostrophe is used to show 1 possessives of nouns and some pronouns, 2 contractions, and 3 some plurals. Author of the original blue book of grammar and punctuation. I cannot overstress that it does not matter how its spelled to start with. Three new things i learned about apostrophes are that french names ending in s or x should be followed by an s.
Nov 04, 2010 the punctuation mark is called apostrophe. Johns books, in addition to indicating the plural form of lowercase letters. Aug 08, 2019 get grammar girls take on apostrophe catastrophe. Maybe youve written something like writing group to save yourself the hassle of figuring out which option is correct. I believe the second answer is the correct one but can anyone validate this. Possessive nouns when a singular noun doesnt end in s, you just need to add an apostrophe and an s to make it possessive. Learn some common mistakes with apostrophes and how to properly use. The apostrophe may be the most misunderstood punctuation mark in englishthere are even websites dedicated to recording its misuse. Whereas in the past it was thought bad form to add an s, style guides are now pointing in that direction, even ones in the us where grammar tends to be policed in more traditional ways. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar blog. Chapter 11 apostrophe this article is about chapter 11 apostrophe enjoy your reading. The dictionary owned by the grammar whi z the grammar whizs dictionary. The punctuation symbol can also be used to show the possessive form of a noun possessive apostrophe, i. And then finally some of you may be wanting to throw an apostrophe here after 1880s but remember the rule was only with lowercase letters, so this is something i see a lot, you never want to throw an apostrophe in when you are making a time period plural, you just add that s there.
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