A young woman in Charleston, South Carolina, owns a boa constrictor named Wayne, and wonders if it’s correct to say that her father isn’t a fan of Wayne’s. Such double possessives are fine, and have been in use for centuries. This...
There’s no definite rule for putting the apostrophe “s” after names like Liz or Alex when talking about Liz’s wedding or Alex’s school, but we know for certain that most people say, and write out, the possessive...
First names like “Patience,” “Hope,” and “Charity” are inspired by worthy qualities. But how about “Be-courteous” or “Hate-evil”? The Puritans sometimes gave children such names hoping that...
A debate has been raging within the Conductors Guild. Should that organization’s name have an apostrophe? Most board members contend that for simplicity and clarity, the name should go without an apostrophe. The hosts concur. This is part of a...
Alan from Austin, Texas, asks: How do y’all punctuate the contraction of you all? Is it y’all or ya’ll? You’d think it’d follow the pattern of she’ll and we’ll, but y’all is an exception to the rule...
Does the possessive “s” go at the end of a proper noun ending in “s”? What’s the possessive of a name like James — James’ or James’s? Either’s correct, depending on your style guide. The AP Stylebook...