 Anonymous wrote: |
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what's the rule in english grammar for forming the possessive of a singular noun that ends in s?
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When I was in high school, I was taught to add only an apostrophe and not an "s". Only later did I discover that both forms are possible.
Read:
" To make the possessive form of a SINGULAR noun that ends in -s, some style guides say to add just an apostrophe ('); others say you should add an apostrophe and s ('s). Some say that either way is correct.
The best answer: when dealing with SINGULAR nouns, find out what the expectations are wherever you're writing and go by that. In most cases, you can just ask your teacher what he or she prefers. (...)
So, to give a couple of examples...
For "nucleus" (singular noun ending in -s), write is as:
nucleus' or nucleus's
depending on the rules where you're writing. "
on this page, second issue.
And, from the BBC website:
" However, if the singular noun ends in ‘s’ as in your example, Everson, you can either just add an apostrophe (’) or apostrophe 's' (’s):
- 'All of Dickens’ novels have now been adapted for television.'
- 'All of Dickens’s novels have now been adapted for television.'
Note that these spellings are pronounced differently. If you simply add an apostrophe, the pronunciation does not change, but if you add apostrophe 's' (’s), the possessive is pronounced /iz/.
With singular nouns ending in double 's' (...) I think it is more normal to add apostrophe 's' (’s) because the spelling with apostrophe s then indicates the pronunciation required:
- 'The boss’s secretary resigned.'
- 'The princess’s diamonds were worth two million pounds.' "