Quote:
Originally Posted by John F
If someones name ends in an "s" (for example, Lois), and you want to show possession, would it be:
A) Lois' book
B) Lois's book
I say A), but I'm reading an ebook, and it has B).
Thanks.
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The rule I was taught (some 1/2 century ago) was that if you sound an extra "s" when saying the word then you add the extra "s". Using that rule, and my pronunciation habits, I would use B.
But then again, there are a number of word forms that were common when I was learning all of this that are not used anymore and a number of spelling/punctuation patterns that have changed. You don't see "cannot" anymore and "can not" is used infrequently; "can't" is, in practice, fast becoming a word instead of a contraction of two words.