grammaticality - Apostrophe for words ending with the letter S





What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?



I always had this difficulty understanding how to depict possessive nature for words ending with s.


For example: Is it correct to say, "James's heart is made of gold"? Or is there any other way to use apostrophes with words ending with S?



Answer



This is up to the writer's style, there are two options:


1) James's heart is made of gold. 2) James' heart is made of gold.


@jsegal the link you posted actually confirms this:



NOTE: Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred.



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