The Most Controversial Apostrophe in the English Language.
(1) ”Legolas’ bow was made of birch.”
(2) ”Legolas’s bow was made of birch.”
Which sentence is correct?
I will always unequivocally argue for the second sentence. There be editors and authors and writers who disagree with me, but I’m providing this perspective to make the case for why an “apostrophe and an s” should always follow a singular noun that ends with an “s” (except in very, very limited circumstances).
Everyone asks. Everyone does it differently. No one knows what source to cite for why it should be used one way or the other.
The question—Should writers add an extra “s” after an apostrophe for possessive singular (both proper and common) nouns that end with an “s”?
Yes. Not only is this the rule applied by the Chicago Manual of Style, one of the most prolific style guides used in fiction, but it only ever adds clarity. It’s like the Oxford Comma. I’ll say it again: It only ever adds clarity. More importantly… it actually reflects how the word is pronounced.
Consider the following two sentences.
(1) “Fields’ car blocked the road.”
(2) ”Fields’s car blocked the road.”
In this example, a person named “Fields” has a car. With the first example, a reader may accidentally, in the moment, read “Field” as the name, read it as plural, and think the word is a possessive plural noun. Or, they won’t know to add the extra “s” when reading it aloud!
With the second example, it is painfully clear that “Fields” is the full name, followed by an apostrophe-s to indicate the possessiveness. It creates clear distinction between when the “hanging” apostrophe is used—only to indicate a plural possessive. When we keep these two punctuation uses completely separate, we ensure clarity and eliminate ambiguity. We reflect the way the words are actually said aloud.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the Chicago Manual of Style’s direct commentary on the subject.
Rule 7.16, Seventeenth Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Possessive form of most nouns. The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. The possessive of plural nouns (except for a few irregular plurals, like children, that do not end in s) is formed by adding an apostrophe only.
Rule 7.17, Seventeenth Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Possessive of proper nouns, abbreviations, and numbers. The general rule stated in 7.16 extends to the possessive of proper nouns, including names ending s, x, and z, in both their singular and plural forms, as well as abbreviations of numbers.
The Chicago Manual of Style provides two exceptions to this rule: Words that are plural form but singular in use (politics’, economics’, species’) and phrases such as “For goodness’ sake.” See Rules 7.20 - 7.21.
But Rule 7.22 explains the reasoning most effectively.
Some writers and publishers prefer the system, formerly more common, of simply omitting the possessive s on all words ending in s . . . . Though easy to apply and economical, such usage disregards pronunciation in the majority of case and is therefore not recommended by Chicago.
“Such usage disregards pronunciation.”
There you have it.
Off my soapbox.
Now prove me wrong!
So what do you think? Do you use the apostrophe-s for singular possessive words that end with s? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter (@tavenorcd)!