Community Chat

[sallybusky]

@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!)

[IamMrsG]

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

[Yardlie]

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@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.

[WenGirl42]

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@Brinklii wrote:

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@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

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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.

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

[Yardlie]

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@WenGirl42 wrote:

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@Brinklii wrote:

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@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

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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.

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

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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.

[febe1]

Both #1 and #3 are correct. 8)

[hckynut]

@Sunshine Kate

I will go with #4.

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

hnj

[IamMrsG]

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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.

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

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

[chickenbutt]

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.

[Yardlie]

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@IamMrsG wrote:

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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.

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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.  

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