I'm sure i should know this, I did go to school once

I understand using apostrophes for a dropped letter as in 'that's' but can anyone clarify their use to show possession, particularly when the posessor has a name that ends in s?

thanks

Jane

I have trouble with this too!

I found this link and refer to it a lot just to be sure:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

Hope it helps.

Katie x

belonging to Jesus, for example would usually be represented as Jesus' but you wouldn't be wrong to say Jesus's. It's just that if a proper name ends in an s and you put another apostrophe s after it looks a bit clumsy.

So you could say Potts's pimples but maybe Potts' pimples looks better.

does that help?

Hart's Rules is the bible for this stuff:

Add 's to show possession:

Jane's book
Mr Johnson's classroom.

Generally if the name ends in s, x or z sound you still add an 's

Marx's thinking
Charles's hat
Bridget Jones's diary
Giles's elephant

and also with the silent s endings of foreign names:

Dumas's novels

But an apostrophe alone is 'an acceptable alternative' where it sounds better, for example in polysyllabic words where the final syllable is unstressed: Lord Williams' School, Saint Nicholas' Day

though I feel as if I'd rather write 'Dickens's novels'...

also traditionally for classical names:

Herodotus' histories
Mars' spear

but not if they're appearing in scientific context:

Mars's atmosphere

Confusingly, Jesus's is the non-liturgical use, Jesus' for liturgical use and as 'an acceptable archaism'

Emma