Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. I know I promised that the next episode would be. Brad grammar This has always plagued me because I have been convinced that placing an apostrophe after a single word ending with s was the proper method for making a possessive. However, my thesis advisor insisted that a scholar by the name of Dibelius should be made possessive by Dibelius's. Furthermore, a review I submitted to a journal was edited to place the extra s at the end. I was beginning to think I was mistaken, but I am glad to know that it is a matter of style. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=17570#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=17570#Comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:28:49 GMT Grammar Dude grammar There seems to be great interest in the possesive form here. Allow me give you a Biblical or Talmudic answer. In the 15th century Moses was written as von Mose. Mose means marsh. The Greeks called him Mosis because he was of the marsh, and they didn't like male a male name to end in a. For example MouSSa. Also, the double ss is of semitic ancestry. Historicly the first and middle "S" looked like an f, while the last "S" looked like an s. And this must have happened during the developement of miniscule orthography "fs" the ß was formed. So, let's look at Mosses. Mosses' characteristics? Mos'ses character? In closing I say to yee: When the Mauritanians of Moorish-town's moored upon the Spanish marsh; moors and marshes were marked and marched. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=16245#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=16245#Comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:53:13 GMT Henry grammar While we write "one week's vacation" and "two weeks' vacation", how about "nine months(?) and one week(?) vacation"? Should it be "nine months' and one week's vacation" or simply "nine months and one week's vacation"? Many thanks for your help. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=15838#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=15838#Comments Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:03:44 GMT Elena grammar I noticed that Emily from South Bend brought up a very good point . . . apostrophes when writing numbers or dates. I was always taught that when you write decades it's 1700s or 1900s. I work in a law firm that uses a lot of forms with numbers, such as C-4s and C-7s. All the attorneys keep adding apostrophes, such that the form takes of the "form" C-4's and C-7's. Isn't this wrong??? This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Could you address this problem in, say, an episode of "Apostrophe Catastrophe (Part Three)?" Thanks! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=14418#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=14418#Comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:02:29 GMT Heidi grammar Grammer Girl, On a Christmas card, which is correct... "Happy Holidays from The O'Haras" or "Happy Holidays from The O'Hara's"? http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=14282#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=14282#Comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:48:42 GMT eve grammar love your site but the security is bumming me out http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=13355#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=13355#Comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:49:57 GMT eve grammar hello! love this site! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=13315#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=13315#Comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:26:20 GMT Jeff grammar How about this one - if you are talking about a final exam schedule, which would be correct "finals schedule" or finals' schedule"? Is it plural or possessive or both? http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=12485#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=12485#Comments Thu, 01 May 2008 18:49:50 GMT Kristin grammar I hope people other than grammarians read your stuff, because my headache would dissipate considerably. Misuse of apostrophes and of homophones are my biggest grammar peeves. What's so sad is that these things are the *easier* grammar rules to follow, which tells me that people simply no longer care. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=12073#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=12073#Comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:12:37 GMT Kerry grammar Apostrophes for possessives: For Proper Nouns ending in "s" - if it's a single syllable word, use 's, but if it's a multi-syllablic word, just add the '. Jesus' Odysseus' Chris's Ross's Kansas' The rule of thumb is to work out plural first, then possessive. The actresses' awards? The actress's award? This is such a fabulous site! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=11726#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx?commentid=11726#Comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:47:01 GMT Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:28:49 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/apostrophe-plural-grammar-rules.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us