Our quizzes currently reflect ap style through 2016 but not the 2017 changesadditions. Whereas in the past it was thought bad form to add an s, style guides are now pointing in that direction, even ones in the us where grammar tends to be policed in more traditional ways. Most punctuation marks fall between words to separate ideas or grammatical clauses, but the apostrophe is used within words and to combine multiple words. Add es for names ending in s or z and add s for everything else. Is it correct to place an apostrophe after the letter z. I dont know if this will help, but for chapter style, ap says. Rules for plural and possessive names merriamwebster. So the use of the singular they in instances such as when an anonymous sources gender must be shielded and other wording is overly. For plural forms of proper names, however, if the name ends in one of these letters, add an es and an. I just bought the elements of style, an awesome little book. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. For names that do not end in s, z, ch, sh, or x, just add s to the end of the name to make it plural.
For cases like these, its best to check a comprehensive style guide, such as the chicago manual or the ap stylebook its dos and donts, according to the ap. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Where do you put the apostrophe after names that end in s. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. To form the possessive of a noun that ends in s, ap style has separate rules for proper names and generic nouns. As the post states, to show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe.
The apostrophe may be the most misunderstood punctuation mark in englishthere are even websites dedicated to recording its misuse. Are you confused about how to show the plural and the possessive of certain names. The first is to signal a contraction missing letters as in thats for that is d. But just between you and me, you can use this shootfromthehip style in personal email. The placement of an apostrophe depends upon the word you are making possessive. Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code. According to the ap style book, the one time when you dont add a trailing. Italicized words are still iffy for wire transmission ap stories, so book titles are enclosed in quote marks. With that said, this is an area of conflict and disagreement among writers and. Although an apostrophe is what makes a possessive, it is an issue of style whether to add an s at the end of a noun ending with s or z.
It is used to show when one noun possesses another noun. Some style guides say that singular nouns ending in s sounds such as ce, x, and z may take either the apostrophe alone or s. No matter which style guide you use, add only the apostrophe to plural proper nouns that end in s. The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Unless you want to make your last name possessive, there arent any circumstances where you would need to add an apostrophe. This small mark has two primary uses, signifying either 1.
What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe. For other nouns, youd put just an apostrophe at the end, so if you had a bunch of cats and they had beds, you say that those are the cats beds, or if your parents shared a car, you would say it is your parents car. Except for writers who abide by associated press guidelines, apostrophe rules for possessive proper nouns are virtually identical to those for possessive common nouns.
For plural nouns we simply an apostrophe except for those few plural nouns that do not end in s. Walsh becomes walshes, and malkovich becomes malkoviches. In short, is it carlos stylebook or carloss stylebook. Importantly, it is the written letter that determines whether to place just an apostrophe or s after a plural. Use a possessive form after both words if the objects are individually owned.
Secondly, that it is optional to use s or ss with names ending in s, x or z. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to show possession or to show the omission of letters. Choose from 500 different sets of apostrophe ap english flashcards on quizlet. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions. Be the first to read new posts and updates about mla style. Three new things i learned about apostrophes are that french names ending in s or x should be followed by an s.
The chicago manual of style changed its apostropheonly policy in the last few years, a bold. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the s. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. But what if the name is sanchez or church or williams rule.
Its important to remember that the apostrophe represents no sound whatsoever, so if you say an extra sound, you have to use an extra letter. Ap rules that proper names such as chris, agnes, and russ take only an apostrophe, like these examples. In ap style, you use a lone apostrophe to make singular nouns and names that end with s possessive, and in chicago style, most of the time you add an apostrophe and an s, with a few rare exceptions. In the following examples, those difference are noted. If the possessive involves a last name with s or z, you can add either. Whereas in the past it was thought bad form to add an s, style guides are now pointing in that direction, even ones in the us where grammar tends to. Possessives learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Associated press style, used by most newspapers, is slightly different. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and refer to it when in doubt.
Rules by ap stylebook, bad grammargood punctuation. If your name ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh, add es to the end. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural, if there is one owner, add s to the singular the smiths car vs smiths car. In most cases, however, the stylebook suggests using a generic reference such as the agency or the alliance for all references after the first. Minthorns distilled wisdom is the ap stylebook, the highly regarded and only guidebook for newspaper correspondents and editors. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smiths ferrari, and i visited the smiths house. The primary difference in style between the two resources is that singular proper nouns are always followed by an apostrophe and an s, even if they end in s or x or z. Otherwise, decide which style you like best and use it.
There are a few english nouns that end in the sound s or z but are written with a final e. How to use the apostrophe english language help desk. To show the plural of a name that ends in s, ch, or z, add es. An apostrophe is used to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word rock n roll, omission of a century in a year 97, a contraction theyre and to show possession when forming possessives of nouns. Clearness is secured by using words that are current and ordinary.
Note that singular nouns ending in s still take an apostrophe and an additional s i. The style that many of us are accustomed tosimply adding an apostrophe after the s e. Proper nouns ending in s follow previously stated styles e. Apostrophes think you know how to use an apostrophe in your writing. See special expressions, but otherwise, for consistency and ease in remembering a rule, always use s if the word does not end in the letter s. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Less wellknown, but still common onessuch as osha and natocan be used after you spell out the full name on the first mention. Mary norriss thoughts on pesky possessives the new yorker. Leave out the apostrophe when making last names plural.
When creating the possessive form of nouns, there are eight simple rules. While this site is predominantly dedicated to ap style the style for newspapers, in this section, differences between ap and and chicago style are noted. In other style guides, chris takes an apostrophe and an s. In november 2019, retired journalist john richards announced that he was disbanding the apostrophe protection society, a primarily internetbased. Like for example different books with their different designs. Singular common nouns ending in s or an s sound, followed by a word beginning with s. However, with single lowercase letters, it is advisable to use apostrophes. Kansas doctors, achilles heel use a possessive form after only the last word if ownership is joint. In ap style, you use a lone apostrophe to make singular nouns and names that. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. Learn the major differences between chicago and ap style guides to assist your writing. How to handle apostrophes in unusual situations such as. O in english, an apostrophe has two chief functions.
Ap is choosy about punctuation, too the friendly stickler. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Apostrophe after x creative writing forums writing. Either luke mcguinnesss car or luke mcguinness car is acceptable in writing, but you would likely say mcguinnesss. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online register now. Also called the oxford comma, this term refers to a comma that. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. The supreme court of the united states is split on whether a possessive singular noun that ends with s should always have an additional s after the apostrophe, sometimes have an additional s after the apostrophe for instance, based on whether the final sound of the original word is pronounced s or z, or never have an additional s after. There are different apostrophe rules for different styles.
Apostrophes are punctuation marks used to indicate possession. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Strunk and white says charles s is correct is this still the case. For example, to congratulate a couple on tying the knot, youd say, congratulations to the hunters on their recent marriage. Care must be taken to place the apostrophe outside the word in question. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. The post used its graphic below to illustrate a profile of david minthorn, the grammar and style expert at the associated press. If there was a movie or book called the man who knew too much, technically would it be proper to write the man who knew too muches being that it would be a proper noun. For proper names, you add the apostrophes to the end. Test your ability by identifying which sentences are correct, and read our post on the topic. How to make singular and plural words that end with s possessive. Apostrophes and proper nouns grammar and punctuation.
In that sentence, the verb do is used as a plural noun, and the apostrophe was added because the writer felt that dos was confusing. The ap stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in ap style stories. Chris photograph appears on page 1 of the business. An apostrophe after a word usually indicates the possessive the ladies handbags, so if you use fromax, id be looking for his handbag to follow shortly thereafter use fromaxes as the plural or you could use the example of index indices, and go for fromaces. She smiled, youll want to read this gatehouse newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in ap style stories then. What is the proper possessive form for a surname that ends with z. The truth is that chris takes just an apostrophe only if you follow the rules in the the associated press stylebook. Lastly, that if an apostrophe appears after the s, then the word is likely a plural ex.
In the eleventh edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation we. Make a singular noun possessive by adding an apostrophe and an s. We follow the guidance of leading reference books such as the chicago manual of style and the associated press stylebook. As a rule of thumb, adding the s to the apostrophe is a good idea. To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines.
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