cj Sez: How to properly use an apostrophe in some plurals
has always plagued me, especially when input from critique readers challenges what I've written.
I usually get on the Internet and do a search to
prove to myself that I’m right (almost always), so I decided I should go to THE
source for writers, The Chicago Manual of Style. I recorded the proper
usage in a handy-dandy Word document that I keep on my computer and thought I'd
share my findings with you.
A Google search for how to use apostrophes results in a long list of sources. The following excerpts are examples of questions asked by wordsmiths and the
answers provided by a CMOS correspondent:
Plural Names
Q. My boyfriend and I are having a battle royal over the use of
apostrophes in plural names. In his PhD dissertation he repeatedly refers to a
family by the name of Wallace. When he refers to them in the plural, he insists
that the correct form is “the Wallace’s,” which seems entirely incorrect to me.
I hold that it should be “the Wallaces,” just like “the McDonalds” or “the
McPartlands” or “the DeVitos.” He is backing up his position with the example
“the G.I.s,” which he insists should be pluralized as “the G.I.’s.” Please
help. This is ruining our dinner conversation!
A. Usually in such arguments, the woman is
right. Yours is no exception. The plural of names of persons and other
capitalized nouns is usually formed with the addition
of s or es. An apostrophe is never used to form the plural
of family names. Write “the Wallaces,” “the Joneses,” the “Jordans,” etc. See
paragraph 7.8 of the sixteenth edition of CMOS for the full statement
of the applicable rule. As for G.I., Chicago style is GI (no periods), the
plural of which we write as GIs. See 10.4 and 7.14.
Possessives and Attributives
Q. When indicating possession of a word that ends in s, is
it correct to repeat the s after using an apostrophe? For example,
which is correct: “Dickens’ novel” or “Dickens’s novel”?
A. Either is correct,
though we prefer the latter. Please consult 7.15–18 for a full discussion of
the rules for forming the possessive of proper nouns. For a discussion of the
alternative practice of simply adding an apostrophe to form the possessive of
proper nouns ending in s, see paragraph 7.21.
Q. I have suddenly become an editor and am having trouble on a daily
basis with the numeric use of decades. First, is “the 90s” or “the ’90s”
correct? We often see the apostrophe omitted these days. Next, if a sentence
contains the phrase, “Perhaps the 70s best director . . .” (meaning,
the best director of that decade), “70s” is both plural and possessive. Should
it be “70’s”? “70s’”? Other than reconstructing the sentence, what’s an editor
to do?
A. Strictly speaking, ’90s, with the apostrophe, is
correct.
The
’70s’ finest director was Martin Scorsese, particularly for his work
on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver.
Note
the apostrophes, both of them. You are always free to write “seventies’
finest.” Or, “The finest director of the ’70s was assuredly Francis Ford
Coppola, for his work on the first two Godfather films
and Apocalypse Now.”
§§
cj Sez: By the by, the Seventeenth Edition of The
Chicago Manual of Style is still available, and according to the Amazon.com
blurb: “for more than one hundred years The Chicago Manual of Style has
remained the definitive guide for anyone who works with words.” Notice it said "anyone." The resource is not just for authors.
Hope you found a nugget in this post that you can
use, and FYI, The Associated Press
Stylebook used by journalists differs somewhat.
§§
Writers, if you have a book launch coming up and
want to schedule a post on Lyrical Pens for your blog tour, drop me a note. (PG13,
please.)
§§
On the Personal News Front, I can claim a writing victory:
I submitted a chapter from my re-activated and now re-themed WIP to a contest. More
than any dollar award, what I really want is the professional critique that all
entries are to receive. I need (am desperate for) someone other than a family
member to give me feedback on this piece. Even so, bonus points for the family member who thought
the MC was boring, and I will owe him a steak dinner should the entry garner
some positive comments and direction. I finally like this version better
than any of the previous iterations, and I hope someone else likes it too. Of
course, the changes make even more work: Now I have to re-edit the re-edit I
just finished of my “Untitled” manuscript because I’ve changed the plot . . .
again.
§§
That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep
on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and
safe summer…with lots of time for rest, relaxation, and reading!
cj
My books
are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a
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Little note: The Haunted
Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us If she happens to be out, I also have a small
stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her
own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by
any author of your choice.
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