I can never overestimate the number of times I’ve seen misused possessives—especially on signs. One of our earliest instincts as toddlers seems to be protecting our own possessions, be they toys or baby siblings (speaking from my non-psychological perspective, in any event). Yet we have so much trouble expressing possessives properly in writing. The singular form is not usually a problem for most (ignoring singular words that end in the letter “s”)—just add apostrophe “s”:
Gloria’s watch
The book’s cover
But many become confused with the plural possessive form. Because our fifth-grade teachers told us merely to add “s” apostrophe to a singular noun to make a plural noun into a possessive—and because most plural nouns end in the letter “s” anyway—we tend to follow this mantra blindly. It works, however, ONLY when the plural noun ends in the letter “s.” For example:
The planets’ alignment
The judges’ robes
But what if the plural form of a noun does NOT end in the letter “s”? Consider the following:
Children’s clothing vs. Childrens’ clothing
Mice’s cages vs. Mices’ cages
The word “childrens” does not exist; the word “mices” does not exist. (You can tell that this bothers me.)
The simple solution for those of us who struggle with plural possessives it to forget our fifth-grade teachers’ mantra to add “s” apostrophe (no offense, Mr. Rosenfeld). Just write the plural form of the noun, and THEN add your apostrophe. The new mantra should be “plural noun, apostrophe.” It’s a mouthful, but it works.
In another post, I’ll write about singular and plural forms of names that end in “s.” Until then, enjoy your possessions! Or, rather, enjoy your possessives!
Gloria’s watch
The book’s cover
But many become confused with the plural possessive form. Because our fifth-grade teachers told us merely to add “s” apostrophe to a singular noun to make a plural noun into a possessive—and because most plural nouns end in the letter “s” anyway—we tend to follow this mantra blindly. It works, however, ONLY when the plural noun ends in the letter “s.” For example:
The planets’ alignment
The judges’ robes
But what if the plural form of a noun does NOT end in the letter “s”? Consider the following:
Children’s clothing vs. Childrens’ clothing
Mice’s cages vs. Mices’ cages
The word “childrens” does not exist; the word “mices” does not exist. (You can tell that this bothers me.)
The simple solution for those of us who struggle with plural possessives it to forget our fifth-grade teachers’ mantra to add “s” apostrophe (no offense, Mr. Rosenfeld). Just write the plural form of the noun, and THEN add your apostrophe. The new mantra should be “plural noun, apostrophe.” It’s a mouthful, but it works.
In another post, I’ll write about singular and plural forms of names that end in “s.” Until then, enjoy your possessions! Or, rather, enjoy your possessives!
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