Where does the apostrophe go?

Frances   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 01:54 GMT
I was on another website and was taking a punctuation poll. There were two options:

(a) James'
(b) James's

I was always raised that (a) was correct and (b) was incorrect. Most pollsters spelt it like (a). How do you spell it and what do you think about (b)?
Kazoo   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 01:58 GMT
I believe that it is correct to spell, or say it, either way.
Kirk   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 02:03 GMT
I learned that both ways were acceptable. I usually see and use (a). (b) looks somewhat strange, but maybe that's just because it's not as common.
Tiffany   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 05:12 GMT
I always use (a). I was taught that (b) was incorrect.
Deborah   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 06:04 GMT
The only "official" opinion I ever read was that if you say an extra syllable, you should add an "s" after the apostrophe. For example, I would say an "iz" after James, so I would spell it James's. I would say and spell "Mr. Jones's dog", but I'd say and spell "the Joneses' dog" (not "the Joneses's dog").
JJM   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 08:22 GMT
Just more ammunition for my belief that we should just abolish the use of the apostrophe as a written marker for the possessive and standard contractions.
Kirk   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 08:39 GMT
Yeah, Swedish does just fine marking the possessive "s" without an apostrophe.

Eriks hus = Eric's house.

Not too confusing, is it?
Ved   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 11:30 GMT
I prefer James's, but both are ok.
Ved   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 11:33 GMT
I remember once coming across a "rule" (I have no idea who created it) saying that s' is supposed to be used in Graeco-Roman names.
Adam   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 11:39 GMT
If you used A, would people not think it's plural? After all, the apostrophe is used to tell you whether it's singular or plural.

If there is only one James, but you said "James' books" people think think you are talking about more than one James.
JJM   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 13:49 GMT
"If there is only one James, but you said 'James' books' people think think you are talking about more than one James."

Gven that the apostrophe is merely a written device, and corresponds to no English sound, anyone who thinks you are talking about more than one James when you SAY "James' books" would have to have reached that assumption by the context of what you said.
D   Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 16:54 GMT
How to pluralize nouns that end in an s, z, or x is a matter of style.
Different style guides will give different answers. The latest
Chicago manual of Style recommends always putting 's except
for historical names such as Moses. Their reasoning is that,
because some people pronounces James' as one syllable
and some prononce Jamses's as two syllables, the only
wy to get consistency is to make an arbitrary rule that
doesn't depend on pronunciation. Their arbitrary rule is to use
apostrophe ess.
Frances   Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 00:42 GMT
Interesting thinking all of you. It's a difficulty that I have with my own name! The main concern now is that I might not be following a formal and accept rule, but based on discussions here, it seems there isn't.

D - I've always thought that with a name/noun ending with "x" or "z", you just tack on the apostrophe and then an "s", but with an "s" ending word, it's just the apostrophe at the end with no "s" following.
Smith   Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 01:45 GMT
The sensible way and the way I prefer to do it is to add 's to a word ending in ''s'' only if you add a syllable, that is to say ''iz'' /Iz/.
Smith   Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 01:50 GMT
''D - I've always thought that with a name/noun ending with "x" or "z", you just tack on the apostrophe and then an "s", but with an "s" ending word, it's just the apostrophe at the end with no "s" following.''

If you add a syllable to the word, it seems silly to use only an apostrophe and no ''s''.

Quote-''Just more ammunition for my belief that we should just abolish the use of the apostrophe as a written marker for the possessive and standard contractions.''

JJM, the apostrophe is very important in contractions, because if it was there, the contractions would be confused with other words by which are distinguished only by not having an apostrophe. For example:

''we're'' and ''were''

''he'll'' and ''hell''

''we'll'' and ''well''

she'd and ''shed''

she'll and ''shell''