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	LiquidMidnight  [More info] Hello, I was wondering how to write the plural possessive form of business. Is businesses' right? LiquidMidnight Joined on Fri, Sep 17 2004 New Member 13

	+1 Mister Micawber  [More info] You've got it, LM. Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 37,578 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

	+1 Zebedee  [More info] Rules often change to reflect current trends (not always a good thing). It has now become more acceptable to write "businesses" purely because of asthetics and to reflect the more common pronounciation. Regarding people's names, if the name is naturally spelt with an 's' at the end for example "James", then you only put an apostrophy ( ' ) without another "s" so the plural of James will be James' not James's. However, just to be difficult, it is acceptable to write "James's" when continuing the sentence, for example "We visited St. James's palace". As with "businesses" this was introduced for asthetic reasons. Zebedee Joined on Tue, Dec 18 2007 New Member 01

	+1 Grammar Geek  [More info] Hi Zebedee, and welcome to the forums. Can you cite some examples used in reputable publications that use businesses without the apostrophe that indicate a plural possessive? That sounds extremely odd to me. On the issues of James's versus James', and other proper names, that certainly does vary whether that "extra" s is used, but for a generic noun like "business" I'm astonished to hear that the apostrophe was dropped in any situation. Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US Veteran Member 22,256 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!

	+1 Grammar Geek  [More info] One boy's bike. Two boys' bikes. One dog's bowl. Two dogs' bowls. One business's plan. Two businesses' plans. Not businesses as a plural possessive, not businesses's as a plural possessive.   Grammar Geek