When a name ends in S you don;t put another S after it, do you??

[SparklyGothKat]

Was looking at Ds1's appointment letter today for his operation and saw that after his middle name (James) they had put 's, so it read 'Between now and XXXXXX James's admission' all through the letter, wherever there was James they had put 's after it...

[yorkshirepudding]

Message withdrawn

[SparklyGothKat]

I thought it would be James'

[PrimulaVeris]

It is indeed James's, Thomas's ....

[stealthsquiggle]

really?! I thought it was James' too

[Mung]

I thought it could be either, but I always prefer James'

[dilbertina]

I'm sure it's "James'".

How about if it's a name ending in x though? Does the same rule apply? Should it be Alex's or Alex'?

I tried to find out and allegedly it can be correct either way, I've gone for Alex's but still not sure!

[snottyshoulders]

It is James's but many people now abbreviate by putting James' which is acceptable-ish

[snottyshoulders]

Alex's definitely!!!

[artichokes]

It can be either. The old fashioned way is James's but most people now just say James'. I work in a job that is very strict about things like this and we use James'.

[artichokes]

Intrestingly the bbc still uses James's.

[mousehole]

see here - can be either but I prefer it without the extra s as that's what I was taught.

www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

[SparklyGothKat]

I was taught without the extra S, which is what threw me.

[Deux]

DS's name ends in s and it does seem that either is acceptable though 's is correct. I use the latter.

The suggestion I read was to write it as you would say it. So if you would say it with the second 's', then spell it with the second 's'.

[policywonk]

Strictly speaking, it should be James's. Sorry to all those of you who think otherwise, but that really is the rule - I've got a row of English language reference books here (Oxford Guide to English Usage, Fowler's Modern English Usage, Butcher's Copy Editing) and every single one of them says that it should be James's and Thomas's. The only time you don't need the extra 's' is when the name ends in an 'iz' sound: for example, Moses', Mrs Bridges'.

However, this is one of those rules that is so widely flouted that it's probably on the way out.

[policywonk]

Oh, and definitely Alex's. Alex' is just plain crazy!

[stealthsquiggle]

Bother. Since I am trying to educate DS (5) in the ways of the pedant, I am going to have to explain that I was wrong when I told him it should be James'.

[SparklyGothKat]

will have to re-educate myself

[mousehole]

good work policywonk.

[Wuxiapian]

I always thought you could do either, really.

Although, I've always used James' whenever referring to my own son.

[surprise]

On my English degree course, I've been told that either is correct, but the most "fashionable" is to use "James's".

[cornsilk]

I distinctly remember being taught it was James'.

[QueenMeabhOfConnaught]

My old school was St. James's and our HT was very hot on the second "s" - I think James' just looks wrong.

[S1ur]

Hmm trying to work out how this fits into PW usefully refernced post.

Tess.

Tess' rabbit

Tess's rabbit

Come to Jim and Tess's belly dancing classes.

[purpleduck]