topic Re: Grammar Question..... in Community Chat

Grammar Question.....

Sunshine Kate — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:41:57 GMT

Not sure what category to post this question.

Which sentence is correct? The key word is: James

1) There are too many James' in my class.

2) There are too many James's in my class.

3) There are too many Jameses in my class.

TIA

Re: Grammar Question.....

gmkb — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:48:14 GMT

What about "there are 5, 6, 7, etc. boys named James in my class." It has a nicer tone than "too many."

Re: Grammar Question.....

Karlakaye — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:54:04 GMT

I believe it is number three, simpy a plural of James, not possessive (as in belonging to one James or more than one James). HTH

Re: Grammar Question.....

Zita — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:54:30 GMT

#3 is correct; simple plural of James

Re: Grammar Question.....

birkin baby — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:54:44 GMT

There are too many boys named James in my class.

Re: Grammar Question.....

eyeron — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 13:09:34 GMT

I just googled this:

Mrs. Mullins is my teacher. She is helping us learn about possessive and plural nouns. Mrs. Mullins's husband has a mother named Mrs. Mullins, too. There is a total of three Mrs. Mullinses in my teacher's family. They like to plan family parties and celebrations. The Mullinses' parties are joyous events!

See example:

There is a total of three Mrs. Mullinses in my teacher's family.

Re: Grammar Question.....

sallybusky — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:04:47 GMT

I agree with every poster up until now, so...s for all. However, adding es to James (or Mullins) just looks awkward. My recommendation is with the suggestion to modify the rest of the sentences so you can avoid making that choice: There are six students named James in my class.

Re: Grammar Question.....

Desertdi — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 13:38:25 GMT

@eyeron wrote:
I just googled this:

Mrs. Mullins is my teacher. She is helping us learn about possessive and plural nouns. Mrs. Mullins's husband has a mother named Mrs. Mullins, too. There is a total of three Mrs. Mullinses in my teacher's family. They like to plan family parties and celebrations. The Mullinses' parties are joyous events!
See example:
There is a total of three Mrs. Mullinses in my teacher's family.

There is a total of three Mrs. Mullins' in my teacher's family

Re: Grammar Question.....

IamMrsG — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:04:35 GMT

desertDi wrote: There is a total of three Mrs. Mullins' in my teacher's family

An apostrophe is used to denote either possession or contraction, but never to make anything plural.

Edited to add: The misuse of an apostrophe to signify plurality is referenced as the "grocer's apostrophe," e.g., Apple's 2/$1

Re: Grammar Question.....

JeanLouiseFinch — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 13:59:31 GMT

I'm not an English teacher, but I believe Option #3 is correct. Making a plural from a singular word that ends in "s" requires the addition of an "es" on the end, even when it's a proper name or last name. My married name ends in "s" and it's just a thing with me, that it rubs me the wrong way when I see an apostrophe intended to show us as a group.

Re: Grammar Question.....

sallybusky — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:13:36 GMT

@IamMrsG: When such an error is spotted while shopping, I have been known to pull a marker out of my purse and mark out the apostrophe. Those drive me bananas!!

(I'd say banana's as a goof --- one time a poster corrected my intentional snafu!)

Re: Grammar Question.....

IamMrsG — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:24:56 GMT

@sallybusky I know what you mean. Glaring grammatical errors make me wince, like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Re: Grammar Question.....

Yardlie — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:51:42 GMT

@Sunshine Kate wrote:
Not sure what category to post this question.

Which sentence is correct? The key word is: James

1) There are too many James' in my class.

2) There are too many James's in my class.

3) There are too many Jameses in my class.

TIA

I looked it up and found that #3 is accurate. If possession is shown, then either #1 or #2 is accurate. It's always fun to review grammar. I loved grammar when I was in school, but sometimes I forget some of the intricacies. Also, grammar tends to evolve over time.

Re: Grammar Question.....

WenGirl42 — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:49:55 GMT

@Brinklii wrote:
@Sunshine Kate wrote:
Not sure what category to post this question.

Which sentence is correct? The key word is: James

1) There are too many James' in my class.

2) There are too many James's in my class.

3) There are too many Jameses in my class.

TIA
When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate.

Here is what I found at grammarbook (dot) com:

Rule 1a. Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s.
Examples:
a woman's hat
the boss's wife
Mrs. Chang's house
Rule 1b. Many common nouns end in the letter s (lens, cactus, bus, etc.). So do a lot of proper nouns (Mr. Jones, Texas, Christmas). There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. There is no right answer; the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent.
Rule 1c. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's.
One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.

Only number 3 is correct, because she isn't showing possession. She is just making the word "James" plural, which never uses an apostrophe.

Re: Grammar Question.....

Yardlie — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:59:40 GMT

@WenGirl42 wrote:
@Brinklii wrote:
@Sunshine Kate wrote:
Not sure what category to post this question.

Which sentence is correct? The key word is: James

1) There are too many James' in my class.

2) There are too many James's in my class.

3) There are too many Jameses in my class.

TIA
When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate.

Here is what I found at grammarbook (dot) com:

Rule 1a. Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s.
Examples:
a woman's hat
the boss's wife
Mrs. Chang's house
Rule 1b. Many common nouns end in the letter s (lens, cactus, bus, etc.). So do a lot of proper nouns (Mr. Jones, Texas, Christmas). There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. There is no right answer; the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent.
Rule 1c. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's.
One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.
Only number 3 is correct, because she isn't showing possession. She is just making the word "James" plural, which never uses an apostrophe.

Yes...you are correct. In my original response (which you have shown) I was all wrapped up thinking possession was shown; however, it was not. Thanks for the correction. I corrected my error before I saw your response. BTW, we have too many Jameses in our family. We call them "Big James," "Little James," and "James, Jr." LOL.

Re: Grammar Question.....

febe1 — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:56:18 GMT

Both #1 and #3 are correct. 8)

Re: Grammar Question.....

hckynut — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:58:44 GMT

@Sunshine Kate

I will go with #4.

There are several boys/girls/others named James in our class. So?

hnj

Re: Grammar Question.....

IamMrsG — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:57:23 GMT

Brinklii wrote: When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate. Here is what I found at grammarbook (dot) com:

Rule 1a. Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s.
Examples:
a woman's hat
the boss's wife
Mrs. Chang's house
Rule 1b. Many common nouns end in the letter s (lens, cactus, bus, etc.). So do a lot of proper nouns (Mr. Jones, Texas, Christmas). There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. There is no right answer; the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent.
Rule 1c. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's.
One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.
When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate.

These rules (1a -c) are about showing possession, not plurality.

Re: Grammar Question.....

chickenbutt — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:02:06 GMT

I would agree with others about re-constructing the sentence, to make a better-sounding sentence.

But, since it is NOT a possessive, it would be the third one which denotes a plural. There is no apostrophe in a plural!

For some reason I see a new thing in recent years with people putting an apostrophe in every plural. Cringe!

Oops - what Mrs G said. I got interrupted and then you posted before I finished.

Re: Grammar Question.....

Yardlie — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:01:03 GMT

@IamMrsG wrote:
Brinklii wrote: When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate. Here is what I found at grammarbook (dot) com:

Rule 1a. Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s.
Examples:
a woman's hat
the boss's wife
Mrs. Chang's house
Rule 1b. Many common nouns end in the letter s (lens, cactus, bus, etc.). So do a lot of proper nouns (Mr. Jones, Texas, Christmas). There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. There is no right answer; the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent.
Rule 1c. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's.
One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.
When I was in school, I learned that either #1 or #2 was accurate.
These rules (1a -c) are about showing possession, not plurality.

Yes, you are correct. As I mentioned above, in my original response, I was all wrapped up remembering how possession was shown. Jameses is correct.