Corps is of course a plural noun in French. But in English it is, I think, a singular noun.
So what’s the possessive?
I want to write “the Corps’s regulations,” but nobody will let me. Can somebody back me up here?
I know it’s technically correct to use the s, but it looks so wrong that everyone I ask IRL says to make it an exception to the rule, like Jesus’ or Moses’.
What say the Dopers?
In English, the possessive of any noun that ends with an “s” is suffixed with an apostrophe only. It doesn’t matter whether the noun is singular or plural, proper or improper.
Um, transitionality, if you’re not sure of a factual answer in this forum, please look it up.
It sounds like transitionality is rather confident in that answer, and that you’re the one who’s not sure of it.
I agree with transitionality. And I looked it up, and AP and Chicago agree with us. In fact, AP specifically uses one corps’ location as an example.
This may be why nobody will let you do it the wrong way.
First of all, transitionality was wrong.
Second, where’d you find it in Chicago? I couldn’t find it.
transitionality:
From Chicago Manual of Style, Fifteenth Edition, p. 281:
But then in this specific case, I did find this (although no reference to corps itself), p. 283:
In other words, it’s optional; but Chicago seems to prefer omitting the s, so I think I’ll concede this battle.
Thanks to everyone who played.