# possessive form of nouns ending in s **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464 "2008-03-15T16:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/1 "2008-03-15T16:52:47Z")
the bike of John is John’s bike the view of the politicians is the politicians’ view the room of the men is the men’s room the theory of Rawls is Rawls’s theory and not Rawls’ theory, or at least, that is what I always thought. My question to you is, is this spelling correct and who if anyone uses it? Is it a UK-US thing? Please fight my ignorance ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/2 "2008-03-15T16:54:39Z")
The possession of singular words ending in “s” is “s’s.” I love writing about Attorney Andrew Vachss’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/3 "2008-03-15T17:04:14Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] The possession of singular words ending in “s” is “s’s.” I love writing about Attorney Andrew Vachss’s books. [/QUOTE] Unless the additional ‘s’ makes for an awkward pronunciation. For instance, you don’t usually see ‘Jesus’s teachings’. You can avoid the entire mess by saying ‘the teachings of Jesus’. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/4 "2008-03-15T17:07:24Z")
I heard you use ‘s for Rawls’s b/c Rawls=1 syllable. For 2 or more, it’s Jesus’ (not Jesus’s). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/5 "2008-03-15T17:25:31Z")
[QUOTE=lobotomyboy63] I heard you use ‘s for Rawls’s b/c Rawls=1 syllable. For 2 or more, it’s Jesus’ (not Jesus’s). [/QUOTE] You heard wrong. **Annie** ’s analysis is correct in 99.9% of the cases for a singular noun, and in fact you can use “Jesus’s” and be correct as well. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/6 "2008-03-15T17:36:55Z")
From the Chicago Manual. Check with your editor to see which in-house style is preferred (that’s the only ‘true’ rule): > [@Section 5.25 Possessive Case](#): > > The possessive of a plural noun that ends in s or es is formed by adding an apostrophe {parents’ house} {foxes’ den}. The possessive of an irregular plural noun is formed by adding ’s {women’s rights} {mice’s cage}. The possessive of a multiword compound noun is formed by adding the appropriate ending to the last word {parents-in-law’s message}. > [@7.17 Most nouns](#): > > The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, and the possessive of plural nouns (except for a few irregular plurals that do not end in s) by adding an apostrophe only. This practice, used in conjunction with the exceptions and options outlined in 7.19–22, reflects the way possessive forms are generally pronounced and is largely faithful to Strunk and White’s famous rule 1 (“Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ’s”). Since feelings on these matters sometimes run high, users of this manual may wish to modify or add to the exceptions. For an alternative practice, see 7.23. See also 5.25–27. > [@7.20 Names like "Euripides"](#): > > The possessive is formed without an additional s for a name of two or more syllables that ends in an eez sound. Again, this is just the ChiMan. Check with your style manual to find the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/7 "2008-03-15T17:50:08Z")
Hmmm, I’m sure that way back when I did have to study Rawls, I used "Rawls’ " as the possessive form, _e.g._ " … in Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice …” _etc_, but if I was wrong about that, I suppose that was probably the least of my worries at the time. 🙂 Of course that was at St. Andrews University, which tends to suffer from a lot of people incorrectly adding an apostrophe, so perhaps confusion was in the air. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/8 "2008-03-15T20:05:39Z")
I seem to recall two “rules” though I don’t see them documented anywhere: Most singulars ending in -s take -'s to form the possessive. The exceptions are: 1. Classical names take a lone apostrophe. “Achilles’ heel”; “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear…”; “Judas’ betrayal”; “Euripides’ _Trojan Women_.” 2. Singular nouns where the spoken form ends in /-Iz/ (the actual symbol there being a small capital I with a horizontal bar midway up) take only the apostrophe. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/9 "2008-03-15T20:09:32Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] I seem to recall two “rules” though I don’t see them documented anywhere: [/QUOTE] See the Chicago Manual of Style, as cited in Post #6. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Cream\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ice\_Cream\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Cream_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/10 "2008-03-15T20:20:09Z")
This is slightly off topic but how is “In Jesus’ name” pronounced? Jesus-ez or just plain Jesus? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/11 "2008-03-15T22:03:54Z")
Jesus-ez. For the larger question, the important quote is buried in the Chicago Manual quote: > [@](#): > > Since feelings on these matters sometimes run high, users of this manual may wish to modify or add to the exceptions. As long as you are consistent within a document, you can form possessives in any way you like. Add an s, don’t, it’s up to you. This changes if you are in a formal situation that calls for reference to a style guide. But if you’re in that situation you can’t ask the question in the first place. It’s a matter of style. There are no rules to style except the one of consistency. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possessive-form-of-nouns-ending-in-s/441464/12 "2008-03-16T01:15:00Z")
The AP Style book beats it to death. Plural nouns ending in S: add only an apostrophe. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning: add only an apostrophe. Singular common nouns ending in S: add 's unless the next word also begins in S. Proper names ending in S: add only an apostrophe. It goes on for another 1 1/2 pages, but you get the drift.