cj Sez: How to properly use an apostrophe in some plurals
has always plagued me, especially when input from critique readers challenges
me.
I always have to get on the Internet and search, so I decided to go to THE source for writers, The Chicago Manual of Style. I recorded the
proper usage in a handy-dandy Word document that I keep on my computer and thought I'd share my findings with you.
A Google search for how to use apostrophes gave me the
following excerpts of questions by wordsmiths and the answers provided by a
CMOS correspondent:
Plural Names
Q. My boyfriend and
I are having a battle royal over the use of apostrophes in plural names. In his
PhD dissertation he repeatedly refers to a family by the name of Wallace. When
he refers to them in the plural, he insists that the correct form is “the
Wallace’s,” which seems entirely incorrect to me. I hold that it should be “the
Wallaces,” just like “the McDonalds” or “the McPartlands” or “the DeVitos.” He
is backing up his position with the example “the G.I.s,” which he insists
should be pluralized as “the G.I.’s.” Please help. This is ruining our dinner
conversation!
 |
| Apostrophes do not make nouns plural |
A. Usually in such arguments, the woman
is right. Yours is no exception. The plural of names of persons and other
capitalized nouns is usually formed with the addition
of s or es. An apostrophe is never used to form the plural
of family names. Write “the Wallaces,” “the Joneses,” the “Jordans,” etc. See
paragraph 7.8 of the sixteenth edition of CMOS for the full statement
of the applicable rule. As for G.I., Chicago style is GI (no periods), the
plural of which we write as GIs. See 10.4 and 7.14.
Possessives and Attributives
Q. When indicating
possession of a word that ends in s, is it correct to repeat
the s after using an apostrophe? For example, which is correct:
“Dickens’ novel” or “Dickens’s novel”?
A. Either is correct,
though we prefer the latter. Please consult 7.15–18 for a full discussion of
the rules for forming the possessive of proper nouns. For a discussion of the
alternative practice of simply adding an apostrophe to form the possessive of
proper nouns ending in s, see paragraph 7.21.
Q. I have suddenly
become an editor and am having trouble on a daily basis with the numeric use of
decades. First, is “the 90s” or “the ’90s” correct? We often see the apostrophe
omitted these days. Next, if a sentence contains the phrase, “Perhaps the 70s
best director . . .” (meaning, the best director of that decade),
“70s” is both plural and possessive. Should it be “70’s”? “70s’”? Other than
reconstructing the sentence, what’s an editor to do?
A. Strictly speaking, ’90s, with the apostrophe, is
correct. The ’70s’
finest director was Martin Scorsese, particularly for his work on Alice
Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver.
 |
| Journalists' AP Stylebook differs |
Note the
apostrophes, both of them. You are always free to write “seventies’ finest.”
Or, “The finest director of the ’70s was assuredly Francis Ford Coppola, for
his work on the first two Godfather films and Apocalypse Now.”
***
cj Sez: Hope you found a nugget in this post that you can use. By the by, the Seventeenth Edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is now
available. Click on the cover photo to find out more.
Upcoming book signing in Mobile . . .
Sept 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Book Seller: Local authors are being featured, me included.
If you’re in the area,
please stop by and say hi.
***
Writers, if you have a book launch coming up and want to
schedule a post on Lyrical Pens for your blog tour, drop me a note.
That’s it for today, folks. You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same.
cj
Stop by Amazon and pick up copies of DEADLY
STAR and CHOOSING
CARTER, (to keep me in good standing with Simon&Schuster), and if you
take a moment to leave a review (good, bad, or indifferent), I shall be forever
grateful.
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Helpful post! Thanks.
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