The Principles of Possessives

Posted: August 31, 2012

The top two writing style resources offer two different views on possessives, from simple to complex. Below are both their styles, with examples and explainations to help cut through the confusion.

The top two writing style resources offer two different views on possessives, from simple to complex. Below are both their styles, with examples and explainations to help cut through the confusion.

The rules about forming possessives can seem confusing, especially because forms differs according to which style manual a publication is following. But the primary styles are relatively simple.

In this post, I will refer only to the two prevalent styles in mainstream publishing: that of the Associated Press Stylebook, the resource of record for American newspaper publishing, as well as some magazines, many websites, and various other forms of written communication, and The Chicago Manual of Style, the bible of American book publishing, as well as many general-circulation periodicals. Guides for certain academic and scholarly subjects may differ.

AP Style

Newspaper style is simple and minimalist:

To form a possessive construction from a singular common noun, add an apostrophe and the letter s: “The girl’s hair is red.” However, if the noun ends in the letter s and the following noun begins with an s, add an apostrophe only: “The waitress’ smile was infectious.”

Treat a proper noun the same as a singular common noun: “Jim’s car ran out of gas.” But if a proper noun ends in s, add an apostrophe only: “Lewis’ training regimen is impressive.”

If a plural noun ends in s, use an apostrophe only: “Cats’ claws are retractable.” If the plural does not end in s, use an apostrophe and an s: “The men’s room is to the right.”

If the possession applies jointly to two singular nouns, apply the apostrophe and s only to the latter noun: “Green eggs and ham’s popularity has declined.” (In this sense, “green eggs” is plural in construction but singular in meaning; it’s a menu item, not a grouping of eggs.) But if the two nouns are distinct, apply the appropriate possessive form for each noun to that noun: “My hat’s color and my shoes’ color match.”

Chicago Style

Book style is simultaneously more complex and more consistent:

No exception is made depending on whether singular nouns preceding and following the apostrophe end and start with s, respectively: “The waitress’s smile was infectious.” (However, all plural nouns are treated the same as in AP style.)

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