Search results for 'tag:Pronunciation tag:Possessives' matching tags 'Pronunciation' and 'Possessives'

Re: Proper Use of Apostrophes (Dos and Don'ts about Do's and Don't's)

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:32:00 GMT

According to the Gregg Reference Manual: "To form the possessive of a singular noun that ends in an s sound, be guided by the way you pronounce the word. If a new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, add an apostrophe plus s."

Ex: your boss's approval (you pronounce it as bosses); therefore, add the apostrophe.

Also according to the Gregg Reference Manual: "However, if the addition of the extra syllable would make a word ending in s hard to pronounce, use the apostrophe only."

Ex: Los Angeles' freeways (try saying Los Angeleses). Difficult to do; therefore, just use the apostrophe.

Best grammar books are The Gregg Reference Manual and the Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers.

I have no problem with boss' approval. At least this is a rule where one can understand why people get it wrong. There are grammar errors that bother me more; I cannot understand why people misuse apostrophes.

Re: Possessive of a proper name

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:32:34 GMT

My daughter and I were just discussing this topic and I found this forum quite helpful. Her name is Eilis (pronounced eye-lish.) Since her name is not historical, I believe the possessive is Eilis's. The pronunciation of the possessive would be "eye-lish-iz" which seems to, again, point to a spelling of Eilis's if I am interpreting that point correctly. She insists on using Eilis' because it is a "special" name. I can't disagree with that...she is pretty special too. Any opinions on which form is correct?

Eilis's Mom (?)

Re: Contractions again (I am sorry)

Old Man Gordon — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:53:41 GMT

In the three example sentences, I don't like the second one. I wouldn't've contracted lunch's. I'm not sure why...maybe the possessive changes my feeling, as does the difficulty of the 'chs' pronunciation. I also wouldn't contract 'Breakfast' or 'brunch', but I would contract "Your dinner's nasty." and "Your snack's nasty."

Re: Possessive of singular noun that ends in S

Tanit — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:19:36 GMT

Anonymous wrote:

what's the rule in english grammar for forming the possessive of a singular noun that ends in s?

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 âsâ as in your example, Everson, you can either just add an apostrophe (â) or apostrophe 's' (âs):
- 'All of Dickensâ novels have now been adapted for television.'
- 'All of Dickensâs 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' (âs), the possessive is pronounced /iz/.
With singular nouns ending in double 's' (...) I think it is more normal to add apostrophe 's' (âs) because the spelling with apostrophe s then indicates the pronunciation required:
- 'The bossâs secretary resigned.'
- 'The princessâs diamonds were worth two million pounds.' "

Re: ownership

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:03:09 GMT

I would argue that ChrisÂ´s is the only option. When one pronounces ChrisÂ´s, there are two syllables. Usually all singular possessives require Â´s. Pronunciation usually determines those very few exceptions. For example, Dr. Seuss's where SuessÂ´s is pronounced with two syllables is correct. If it is pronouned with one syllable (which is rare for me), then SeussÂ´ would be an exception.

Re: The sound of "S" at the beginning and in the middle of words

CalifJim — Fri, 19 May 2006 02:56:51 GMT

There are three possible pronunciations of the plural ending. (The third person present tense verb forms and the possessive forms follow the same pattern.)

[Note for the purposes of the discussion that follows that the six sibilants are /s/, /z/, /S/, /Z/, /tS/ ("ch"), and /dZ/ ("j"). An "x" is pronounced /ks/, so it, too, ends in a sibilant sound.]

1. /iz/ after a sibilant. This ending creates an extra syllable. The endings for Groups 2 and 3 (below) do not create an extra syllable.
    a) where the sibilant is /s/: misses, places, buses, bonuses, boxes
    b) where it is /z/: phases, roses, fuses, fizzes, lenses
    c) where it is /S/: wishes, dashes, marshes
    d) where it is /Z/: beiges (rare)
    e) where it is /tS/: latches, itches, arches, benches
    f) where it is /dZ/: ledges, ages, barges, ranges

2. /s/ after an unvoiced consonant other than a sibilant.
     (Only five possibilities exist in this category. /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, and /th/)
    a) caps, capes, hops, hopes
    b) kits, kites, nights, waits, tastes, facts
    c) bakes, looks, aches, oaks
    d) staffs, safes, laughs (few)
    e) Beth's (rare)

Final /f/ is often changed to /v/ before adding the plural ending; final /th/ is often changed to /TH/ in the plural form. ("f" changes to "v"; "th" remains "th" -- only the pronunciation changes.) Examples: self, selves; moth, moths.

3. /z/ after any other sound not classifiable within the previous two headings.
cabs, Abe's, raids, lads, dogs, wives, waves, moths, truths, games, Ken's, cars, falls, bays, trees, tries

Note: Within the first category you may want to think of the "e" in the "es" ending as a pronounced "e": It is pronounced /i/. Within the second and third categories, you many want to think of the "e" in an "es" ending as a silent "e".

CJ

Re: the "s" sound in "pals" and in other plural forms of other nouns

CalifJim — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 17:12:39 GMT

You're in the right place!
It's not a regional thing. The pronunciation of the pluralizing "s" is standard throughout the English-speaking world. The sound of the "s", as you point out, can be a true "s" sound or a "z" sound. And the only thing you need to know is which sound comes immediately before that final "s".

If the sound of "p", "t", "k", "f", or "th" (as in "thin") is the last sound before the written "s", then pronounce it as a true "s". Otherwise (and this is most of the time), pronounce the "s" as a "z".

In your list, for example, the words which have p, t, k, f, or th sounds just before the final "s" are hawks and rats, so pronounce final "s" in those words as a true "s" sound. In all the others, the final "s" is pronounced "z".

Remember: What's important is the sound that comes before the final "s", not the spelling. For example, in laugh, the final sound is the "f" sound, even though it is spelled "gh". So pronounce the final "s" of laughs as a true "s".

Note: The "s" that forms the third person singular of a present tense verb follows the same rule.
Note: The "s" that forms the possessive follows the same rule.
Note: In words like witches, the "es" is pronounced "iz", so the "i" sound is the last sound before the final "s". The use of the "z" sound for the final "s" is therefore correct according to the rule stated above.

Note: A final "s" which does not form a plural, present tense verb form, or possessive does not necessarily follow this rule: analysis, for example, is a singular form. Both "s"s are true "s" sounds.

CJ

Re: Name ending with 's'

PASTEL — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 19:46:53 GMT

William is also a family name. And the book said

1-Mr. Williams' house

2-Mr. Adams' freinds

3-Mr. Hopkins' reply

but then

1-Mr. James's help

2-Mr. Jones's mistake

3-Mr. Thomas's diary

It says that for one syllable name, if adding 's' to its end doesn't make pronunciation more difficult, then apply apostrophy 's'. If the name consists of more than two syllables, then omit the possessive case, just add a little whisker to its top right.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

Je vais faire dodo bientot! Bonne nuit. A lundi, pieanne.

Re: Counterpart

Mister Micawber — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 22:56:22 GMT

According to Swan (Practical English Usage):

'The apostrophe in a word like parents' does not change the pronunciation at all [/peir?ntz/], But with singular classical (ancient Greek and Roman) names ending in s', we sometimes pronounce a possessive 's even when it is not written: Oedipus' = /i:dip?s(iz)/.

Re: Attention all students - Survey

Ryan — Sat, 23 Aug 2003 07:14:12 GMT

The toughest for me is the pronunciation of some sounds that are not found in any of the other languages I know (Mandarin and Malay). The ones that gives me the most problem are the two "th" sounds.

Another area is logic. I have no problem in subject-verb agreement, but the choice of singular/plural nouns after a possessive pronoun (suggesting plurality) is a headache. For example, I have been advised that "Our body is/Our bodies are made up of cells." and "Children give cards to their mothers/mother on Mother's Day. " are correct.

Where can I find a book on logic?

Thanks.