[MysticCat]

Originally posted by The Truth
I have a question, too. It is about the apostrophe after an "s".

I learned that the apostrophe after the "s" shows the ownership held by more than one person. For example:

The Jones' dog died yesterday.

So because of this I have a pet peeve that has developed. When I see a "s" with an apostrophe after it just because, it bothers me. For example:

Mr. Jones' briefcase was left the building.

I'd love your feedback on this.

I've never heard that test on apostrophes after a proper noun ending in "s." It really doesn't make sense for the "s" after the apostrophe to indicate ownership by more than one person only where the proper noun ends in "s." In that case, it should be "The Joneses's (or the Joneses') house" (unless one treats "Jones" like "fish" or "deer," where the singular and the plural have the same form).

Strunk & White says always follow the apostrophe with an "s" to indicate possession, even after a proper noun that ends in "s." Fowler's Modern English Usage basically agrees, while noting that it used be common only to add an apostrophe (but no "s") to a proper noun ending in "s." Thus, these two sources would say: Mr. Jones's briefcase was left in the building. (Of course, they would also say to replace this passive sentence with an active one, "Mr. Jones left his briefcase in the building," but that's a different discussion. )

If I'm not mistaken, Lynn Truss of the popular Eats, Shoots & Leaves would not add an extra "s" after the apostrophe. So, she would say: Mr. Jones' briefcase was left in the building.

One rule I learned somewhere along the line is to punctuate it the way you would say it, which makes some sense to me. If you would pronounce an extra "s," then put an "s" after the apostrophe. That is, if you would say "Mr. Joneses briefcase was left in the building," then write "Mr. Jones's briefcase was left in the building." If, on the other hand, you would say "Mr. Jones briefcase was left in the building," then write "Mr. Jones' briefcase was left in the building."

For a fun time-waster, play Lynn Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves Punctuation Game.