Grammar Question..... - Page 3

WenGirl42 · ‎07-05-2012

@Brinklii wrote:
@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.

I see your edit now! Sorry I "caught you" before you changed it

sallybusky · ‎01-06-2013

Just for fun......

In my current class, four sets of parents named their babies James. The other 19 gave them silly names like Appaloosa!

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

sallybusky wrote:
Just for fun......

In my current class, four sets of parents named their babies James. The other 19 gave them silly names like Appaloosa!

Lots of Jameses!

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

That is also a pet peeve of mine. And it is relatively new. I do not remember seeing the possessive apostrophes when it should be a plural in years past. Now I see it all the time.

Another seemingly new spelling error is "loose" instead of "lose." I see it all the time everywhere.

Gave up correcting on this BB. Received too many negative responses about how it "doesn't matter." Unbelievable.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986

walkingal · ‎03-09-2010

Definitely not 1 or 2 because they indicate possession. And I'm not sure if "Jameses" is a word. I don't know.

Peaches McPhee · ‎04-19-2010

Those of you with children in school or recently in school: are kids taught how to make a word plural vs. possessive these days?

I see so many of this type of error, it makes me wonder what kids are learning. Example: "I have 2 cat's". I was taught the difference way back when.

-- pro-aging --

Rochester, New York

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Peaches McPhee wrote:
Those of you with children in school or recently in school: are kids taught how to make a word plural vs. possessive these days?

I see so many of this type of error, it makes me wonder what kids are learning. Example: "I have 2 cat's". I was taught the difference way back when.

I can't be certain, but I feel like this may have gone with verb conjugation and pronoun use, as well as general grammar. I guess all of that is not considered important anymore so the evidence would tell that none of it is taught anymore.

When I was in elementary school all of these things were taught pretty much right out of the gate.

I guess what is important changes over the years/decades. I'm working hard on getting on board with this but I have to say that it's not easy. I think that basics are still taught in other countries.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

As an English teacher I have to chime in! It's #3. BTW, when DS was in first grade there were too many Connors in his class. We had Connor D., Connor G., and Connor H!