Chapter 4

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.