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Apostrophes with Words Ending in “s”

While normal people wonder about apostrophes in general, believe it or not, word nerds have heated arguments over whether to use an additional s with singular possession. In this newsletter, you will get the standard, most popular decision among authorities.

Rule: To show singular possession for a word ending in an s or s sound, use the apostrophe and another s.

Examples: the class’s opinion (one class), a bass’s stripes, Marx’s theories, Dickens’s novels

Rule: To show plural possession of a word ending in an s or s sound, form the plural first; then immediately use the apostrophe.

Examples: the classes’ opinions, the basses’ stripes, the Williamses’ car, the Soos’ house, the Marxes’ children

Quiz

Place the apostrophe (and perhaps an s) where appropriate.

1. The classes opinions were predictable according to their grade levels.
2. The lasses clothing differed according to their sewing skills.
3. The lass clothing showed her sewing skills.
4. The class suggestion to go to the science museum was approved by the teacher.
5. The Joneses house survived the flood.
6. The Crosses dog bit the mailman.
7. The Smiths boat sank.
8. Alex rooster woke us up at dawn.

Answers

1. The classes’ opinions were predictable according to their grade levels.
2. The lasses’ clothing differed according to their sewing skills.
3. The lass’s clothing showed her sewing skills.
4. The class’s suggestion to go to the science museum was approved by the teacher.
5. The Joneses’ house survived the flood.
6. The Crosses’ dog bit the mailman.
7. The Smiths’ boat sank.
8. Alex’s rooster woke us up at dawn.

Posted on Friday, January 26th, 2007 at 1:26 am

Quotations within Quotations

Almost all of us have found ourselves confused with double and single quotation marks. When do we use single quotes? Where does the punctuation go with single quotes? With just a few rules and examples, you will feel surer about your decisions.

Rule: Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation.

Example: Bobbi said, “Delia said, ‘This will never work.’”

Notice that what Delia said was enclosed in single quotes. Notice also that the period was placed inside both the single and the double quotation marks. The American rule is that periods always go inside all quotation marks.

Example: Bobbi said, “I read the article, ‘A Poor Woman’s Journey.’”

Rule: Question marks and quotation marks, unlike periods, follow logic with their placement. If a quote inside a quote is a question or exclamation, place the question mark or exclamation mark inside the single quotes.

Examples: Bobbi said, “Delia asked, ‘Will this remote control work on my TV?’”
Bobbi said, “Delia shouted, ‘Get your hands off me!’”

Rule: If the question is inside the double quotes, place the question mark between the single and double quotes.

Examples: Bobbi asked, “Did Delia say, ‘This will never work’?”

(Because you will rarely need an exclamation mark within the double quotes and not within the single quotes, there is little sense discussing this.)

Rule: In the above three examples, only one ending punctuation mark was used with the quotation marks. The rule is that the “stronger” mark wins. Question marks and quotation marks are considered stronger than the period. Period!

Posted on Friday, January 26th, 2007 at 1:18 am

Capitalization of Job Titles

With capitalization of job titles, there are rules and then there is the “rule.” The rules are based on some precedent while the “rule” is based on ego. Let’s go over the rules that have precedent first.

Rule: Capitalize job titles immediately preceding the name when used as part of the name.

Example: We asked Chairperson Leong to join us at the meeting.

Rule: Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word the does not appear in front of the job title.

Examples: Ms. Leong, Chairperson, will join us at the meeting.
Ms. Leong, Chair, will join us at the meeting.
Mr. Hanson, Editorial Advisor for The Independent Journal, helped draft the article.

Rule: When the appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.

Examples: Mr. Hanson, the editorial advisor, helped draft the article.
The chairperson, Sarah Leong, will join us at the meeting.
Mr. Cortez was the senior managing director of the Baskin Group.

Rule: Capitalize titles in signature lines.

Examples: Sarah Leong, Chairperson
Craig Hanson, Editorial Advisor

Rule: Do not capitalize titles when used descriptively.

Example: Ms. Leong, who will chair the meeting, is always on time.

“Rule”: The “ego rule” is that you may have to ignore the above rules in real life. If someone in your office (as in your boss) wants his or her title capitalized in all situations, then do so. Generally, the higher in rank someone is in an organization, the more likely his/her title will be capitalized at all times.

Quiz

1. The finance director, Sam Woo, delivered our third-quarter projections.
2. Sam Woo, our finance director, delivered our third-quarter projections.
3. Sam Woo, finance director, delivered our third-quarter projections.

Answers

Only #3 should be changed: Sam Woo, Finance Director, delivered our third-quarter projections.

Posted on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 at 12:14 am

Continual vs. Continuous

Continual means repeated but with breaks in between; chronic.

Example: The continual problem of our car not starting forced us to sell it.

Continuous means without interruption in an unbroken stream of time or space.

Example: The continuous dripping of the faucet drove me crazy.

Posted on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 at 12:05 am

“In and of Itself”

To many people, the phrase “in and of itself” sounds clunky and old fashioned. However, when used sparingly–and correctly–it serves a purpose.

Example: The weather was not, in and of itself, the cause of the traffic delays.
vs.
Example: The weather was not the cause of the traffic delays.

In both sentences, we understand not to blame the weather for the traffic delays, but in the first sentence, the weather’s involvement is acknowledged. In the second sentence, we have no indication that the weather had anything to do with the traffic delays.

Posted on Friday, January 19th, 2007 at 3:16 pm

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