Apostrophe query - may I consult the experts . . .

[MsPontipine]

Mrs Cross has a book. Is it Mrs Cross' book or Mrs Cross's book?? Cheers loves

Exactly UnquietDad. Did nobody involved in the whole process from naming the bloody place to actually getting the signs paid for and printed think "hang on a minute - I'm not 100% sure that this is right"?

MISSED!!!! (cringe...)

It is a proper metal sign. It's a fairly swanky block of flats, too (if a bit 80s).

policywonk and other pedants: I sometimes lie awake at night wondering about a family called Jones and what one would do if visiting them:

I'm going to the Joneses' party (for example).

I can't bring myself to believe that it is really truly honestly definitely correct to go to the Jones' party.

And as a gift, may I remind you about Julies floris't, now sadly defunct.

Why would she have run away onebat - she was perfectly correct in her usage.

Or do you mean that her spirit was finally crushed under the weight of so much misplaced environmental punctuation and she did a Reggie Perrin?

I have a query which feels related (but isn't).

I have a query which feels related (but isn't.)

Spockster - I assumed from you post that mossed was a technical term used by proofers.

Jones's I think.

The former, onebat.

Unless you're American, then the latter.

The former is right (I'm sure).

(I think the latter would be right only if it were a whole sentence.)

Americans do put punctuation inside brackets even if it isn't a full sentence. I have a manuscript marked up by an American editor right next to me to prove it. It looks rubbish though.

onebat, surely you mean 'that', not 'which'

But that's just not logical, botbot. That would mean that the full stop was marking the end of the words inside the brackets, and the rest of the sentence is left without a stop. It's just wrong, surely.

I know. But they do do it.

Well I hate to condemn an entire nation, but they are wrong.

It can be both ways but I prefer the extra s.

Ds is James and I always put 'James's' - it looks better to me anyway.

Full stop is after comma - deffo.

MIL bought my boys some gawd awful t-shirts at the weekend (they will never see the light of day again). They said

Mum say's no
No problem
Dad will say yes!!!

Arrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Thank you all - I have never felt entirely sure.

Lio - gah!

Americans don't do the full stop inside brackets regardless of whether it's a full sentence in there or not! They do the same as the armoured bear, and all sensible people.

They put the punctuation inside quote marks regardless of sense (broadly speaking). But they don't do that with brackets.

That wasn't a lucid post but I had to be quick as should be working and might get hit with stick.

TW, I think you're right - I'm getting mixed up with brackets and quote marks. I stand corrected.

(, and should also be working)

Botbot

Have a look at this, there's some great one's in there!