Comments on: Go Back to Learning; Don’t Bother Getting Educated http://www.anwyn.com/2008/06/11/go-back-to-learning-dont-bother-getting-educated/ Sometime editor, all-the-time mother, delivering facts, reviews, commentary, and rants. Occasionally in that order. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:21:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anwyn http://www.anwyn.com/2008/06/11/go-back-to-learning-dont-bother-getting-educated/comment-page-1/#comment-383447 Anwyn Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:39:07 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/06/11/go-back-to-learning-dont-bother-getting-educated/#comment-383447 You're dead right, it depends on which style guide you have on top. Newspapers automatically drop the concluding S and end it with the apostrophe (Charles' book). Technically speaking, however, Charles's is the correct form and is still used in many, many books, I notice to my relief. I think somewhere along the way elementary school students got it in their heads that anything ending in S could be made possessive by an apostrophe, instead of only plurals that end in S (Ray and Mary are the Charleses. Their house is the Charleses'). Jesus is (or can be) indeed a special case, mostly (I suppose) through custom of people not saying "in Jesus's name, Amen" but "in Jesus' name" when they pray. I've heard some people (editors, even) say for ALL names to go with how you would say it verbally, as with Jesus, which seems like tosh to me and the way we wind up with all these "acceptable" variants and is the reason I'm always careful to pronounce the ending S if I have to say singular possesives of people ending in S. So it depends who you're writing for (newspapers or magazines vs. correspondence or speeches for companies or individuals, or your blog, or what have you), and undoubtedly if what you're writing is meant to stay in print rather than be read aloud, you'll end up with people nagging you if you write Charles's because they won't know that it's correct. Sigh. The Will of Anwyn (I *do* like the sound of that!) is Save the Ending S! The newspapers are dying anyway. If you find that hard-wired report, shoot me a URL. I'd be interested. You’re dead right, it depends on which style guide you have on top. Newspapers automatically drop the concluding S and end it with the apostrophe (Charles’ book). Technically speaking, however, Charles’s is the correct form and is still used in many, many books, I notice to my relief. I think somewhere along the way elementary school students got it in their heads that anything ending in S could be made possessive by an apostrophe, instead of only plurals that end in S (Ray and Mary are the Charleses. Their house is the Charleses’). Jesus is (or can be) indeed a special case, mostly (I suppose) through custom of people not saying “in Jesus’s name, Amen” but “in Jesus’ name” when they pray. I’ve heard some people (editors, even) say for ALL names to go with how you would say it verbally, as with Jesus, which seems like tosh to me and the way we wind up with all these “acceptable” variants and is the reason I’m always careful to pronounce the ending S if I have to say singular possesives of people ending in S.

So it depends who you’re writing for (newspapers or magazines vs. correspondence or speeches for companies or individuals, or your blog, or what have you), and undoubtedly if what you’re writing is meant to stay in print rather than be read aloud, you’ll end up with people nagging you if you write Charles’s because they won’t know that it’s correct.

Sigh. The Will of Anwyn (I *do* like the sound of that!) is Save the Ending S! The newspapers are dying anyway.

If you find that hard-wired report, shoot me a URL. I’d be interested.

]]> By: Anne http://www.anwyn.com/2008/06/11/go-back-to-learning-dont-bother-getting-educated/comment-page-1/#comment-381663 Anne Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:26:28 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/06/11/go-back-to-learning-dont-bother-getting-educated/#comment-381663 I think most of us do need educating. I've been hoping you'd do a post on possessives ending in "s." I feel like they changed the rules on me. I can't even remember when it happened. I find myself rewriting sentences to avoid having to decide between Charles' and Charles's. I believe it depends on which stylebook is on the top of my stack. I do know that the proponents of Charles's have said that Jesus could still be Jesus' just because he's Jesus. It makes no sense, but I like Jesus getting special treatment. Just a suggestion for a post so I can write in confidence, doing the will of Anwyn, and not have to look it up or rewrite sentences or do any thinking whatsoever. Another subject would be on whether or not grammar is hard-wired. I heard an interesting report about that years ago. Maybe I'll do a post on it. Probably not. Too much thinking. I think most of us do need educating. I’ve been hoping you’d do a post on possessives ending in “s.” I feel like they changed the rules on me. I can’t even remember when it happened.

I find myself rewriting sentences to avoid having to decide between Charles’ and Charles’s. I believe it depends on which stylebook is on the top of my stack.

I do know that the proponents of Charles’s have said that Jesus could still be Jesus’ just because he’s Jesus. It makes no sense, but I like Jesus getting special treatment.

Just a suggestion for a post so I can write in confidence, doing the will of Anwyn, and not have to look it up or rewrite sentences or do any thinking whatsoever.

Another subject would be on whether or not grammar is hard-wired. I heard an interesting report about that years ago. Maybe I’ll do a post on it. Probably not. Too much thinking.

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