Generally, a possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s to a word that does not end in s, and only an apostrophe to a word that does end in s.
| Singular Brooks child lunch sheep Sussex lady man passerby | Plural Brookses children lunches sheep Sussexes ladies men passersby |
| Singular Possessive Brooks’ child’s lunch’s sheep’s Sussex’s lady’s man’s passerby’s | Plural Possessive Brookses’ children’s lunches’ sheep’s Sussexes’ ladies’ men’s passersby’s |
Add an apostrophe to a word that ends in an s sound.
for old times’ sake
for conscience’ sake
for appearance’ sake
Add an apostrophe and an s to a foreign name ending in a silent sibilant.
Descartes’s invention
Des Moines’s schools
faux pas’s
Add an apostrophe and an s to the last word of a singular compound noun.
the Governor of Maine’s
the attorney general’s
Use an of phrase to show possession when both a plural and a possessive are involved in a compound noun.
Indicate common possession by making only the last item in a series possessive.
Teddy, Peggy, and Nancy’s home
Indicate individual possession by making each item in a series possessive.
Teddy’s, Peggy’s, and Nancy’s homes
The following types of possessives should be written as singulars.
artist’s paintbrush
baker’s yeast
farmer’s market
confectioner’s sugar
florist’s wire
printer’s ink
writer’s cramp
painter’s tape
Possessives
Descriptive words
