Possessive Case
Some time ago a shoe merchant called upon the writer to know how to
arrange the points in the wording of a new sign that he was preparing
to place over his door. He made a specialty of shoes for men and boys.
He presented a paper containing the lines:
Men’s and Boy’s Shoes. Mens’ and Boys’ Shoes.
He was politely informed that both were incorrect; that the two words
form their plurals differently, and that the possessive case is,
therefore, formed in a different manner. The plural of _man_ is _men,;_
the plural of _boy_ is _boys_. The possessive of _man_ is _man’s;_ of
_men_ is _men’s._ The possessive of _boy_ is _boy’s;_ of _boys_ is
_boys’._ In the latter case we are obliged to place the apostrophe
after the _s_ in order to distinguish the possessive plural from the
possessive singular. All nouns that form their plurals by adding _s_ to
the singular, form their possessive case as the word _boy _does. The
sign should therefore read:
Men’s and Boys’ Shoes.
Singular Nouns
All nouns in the singular form their possessive case by adding the
apostrophe and the letter _s_; as, child’s, girl’s, woman’s, bird’s,
brother’s, sister’s, judge’s, sailor’s.
When the noun ends in _s, sh, ch, ce, se,_ or _x_, the additional _s_
makes another syllable in pronouncing the word; as, James’s, Charles’s,
witness’s, duchess’s, countess’s, Rush’s, March’s, prince’s, horse’s,
fox’s. In poetry the terminal _s_ is sometimes omitted for the sake of
the meter.
While writers differ, the tendency in modern usage is toward the
additional _s_ in such expressions as _Mrs. Hemans’s Poems, Junius’s
Letters, Knowles’s “Virginius,” Knox’s Sermons, Brooks’s Arithmetics,
Rogers’s Essays._
By long-established usage such expressions as _for conscience’ sake,
for righteousness’ sake, for qoodness’ sake, for Jesus’ sake,_ have
become idioms. Some authorities justify the omission of the possessive
_s_ when the next word begins with _s_, as in _Archimedes’ screw,
Achilles’ sword._
Plural Nouns
Most nouns form their plurals by adding _s_ or _es_ to the singular.
These plurals form their possessive by adding the apostrophe; as,
horses’, countesses’, foxes’, churches’, princes’. Nouns whose plurals
are formed otherwise than by adding _s_ or _es,_ form their possessive
case by adding the apostrophe and _s,_ just as nouns in the singular
do; as, men’s, women’s, children’s, seraphim’s.
Pronouns
Sometimes the mistake is made of using the apostrophe with the
possessive personal pronouns; as, her’s, our’s, it’s. The personal and
relative pronouns do not require the apostrophe, but the indefinite
pronouns _one_ and _other_ form their possessives in the same manner as
nouns; as, “_each other’s eyes,” “a hundred others’ woes.”_
Double Possessives
“John and Mary’s sled,” means one sled belonging jointly to John and
Mary. “John’s and Mary’s sleds” means that one sled belongs to John,
the other to Mary.
“Men, women, and children’s shoes for sale here.” When several
possessives connected by _and_ refer to the same noun, the sign of the
possessive is applied to the last one only.
When a disjunctive word or words are used, the sign must be annexed to
each word; as, “These are Charles’s or James’s books.”
Possessive of Nouns in Apposition
When two nouns are in apposition, or constitute a title, the possessive
sign is affixed to the last, as
“For David my servant’s sake,” “Give me here John the Baptist’s head in
a charger,” “The Prince of Wales’s yacht,” “Frederick the Great’s
kindness.”
After “of”
By a peculiarity of idiom the possessive sign is used with a noun in
the objective; as, “This is a story _of Lincoln’s,”_ “That is a letter
_of the President’s,”_ “A patient _of Dr. Butler’s,”_ “A pupil _of
Professor Ludlam’s.”_
In ordinary prose the custom of the best writers is to limit the use of
the possessive chiefly to persons and personified objects; to time
expressions, as, _an hour’s delay, a moment’s thought;_ and to such
idioms as _for brevity’s sake._
Avoid such expressions as, “America’s champion baseball player,”
“Chicago’s best five-cent cigar,” “Lake Michigan’s swiftest steamer.”
Somebody else’s
The question whether we should say “This is somebody’s else pencil,” or
“This is somebody else’s pencil,” has been warmly argued by the
grammarians, the newspapers, and the schools. If some leading journal
or magazine were to write somebody else as one word, others would,
doubtless, follow, and the question of the possessive would settle
itself. The word _notwithstanding_ is composed of three separate words,
which are no more closely united in thought than are the three words
_some, body,_ and _else._ Two of the latter are already united, and the
close mental union of the third with the first and second would justify
the innovation.
But the words are at present disunited. A majority of the best writers
still conform to the old custom of placing the possessive with _else._
“People were so ridiculous with their illusions, carrying their fool’s
caps unawares, thinking their own lies opaque, while _everybody else’s
_were transparent.”—_George Eliot._
Some make a distinction by placing the possessive with _else_ when the
noun follows, and with _somebody_ when the noun precedes; as, “This is
_somebody else’s_ pencil,” and “This pencil is _somebody’s else.” _This
distinction is not generally followed.