Question for the grammar Nazis

[innerSpaceman]

Ah, but that's just it. If the name is pronounced "Joneses," that's when you are to use Jones's.

Most times, the pronunciation does not change when possessisizing a word ending in "S" - and so the more common s' is proper.

[Not Afraid]

I ALWAYS use the "s"- apostrophe. I have to deal with it any time my husband "owns" something. Chris' car. Chris' closet. Etc.

[Ghoulish Delight]

See, that's a case where I'd definitely use Chris's. "Chrises" sounds just fine to me, so I use it.

Unless you're saying you say "Chrises" but write Chris'? That's just weird.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Unless you're saying you say "Chrises" but write Chris'? That's just weird.

It's pretty standard grammatical practice. Chris' is pronounced "chrises." Powers' is pronounced "powerses." I can't find a single reliable grammar reference source online that promotes use of s's because of pronunciation.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

It's pretty standard grammatical practice. Chris' is pronounced "chrises." Powers' is pronounced "powerses." I can't find a single reliable grammar reference source online that promotes use of s's because of pronunciation.

As MBC pointed out, Stunk & White (as well as Modern Language Association, Economist, Purdue's Online Writing Lab) indicate that if the "es" is pronounced, it should be written 's. As for supporting sources, since most major sources actually support using 's as the standard case and using s' as the exception based on pronunciation, I'll site some that support said exception: The Guardian (admittedly a UK source), Emory, American Heritage/Bartlby.

[Alex]

Strunk & White is full of all sorts of crap so I've mostly stopped viewing them as a decent source, but like was said way up above, no matter what position you take on the rules of s-ending possessive nouns you'll probably be able to find some source that agrees with you.

So again, no matter how it is done someone important will think you're doing it wrong. So just pick a method that you're comfortable with and be consistent.

Personally I think the the possessive apostrophe is (and the contraction apostrophe) are unnecessary grammatically so let me be the first to advocate that you make a bold linguo-political statement and just not use them at all.

[€uroMeinke]

I write Chris' when I talk about my stuff in the third person

[innerSpaceman]

It's a good thing Bob Dole never had this problem.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

If you were talking (well, writing) about the web site that belonged to XYZ Productions, would it be

XYZ Productions' web site or
XYZ Productions's web site

In this specific case, I would choose to avoid the problem altogether by adding a definite article to the whole thing and avoiding the possessive.

"Look us up on the XYZ Productions web site!"

If I read a sentence and hear something like "productionzez" in my head, I do just such an end run. Also, for whatever reason, the possessive attached to a person's name, (Chris's) sounds more natural than when used with, say, a corporate name. ("That's the Shotz Brewery," as opposed to "That's Shotz's Brewery")

Also, given that you are (very sensibly) asking for grammar advice, should you really be calling these helpful souls Nazis? In this instance, shouldn't they be your Grammar Friends? Huggy Plush Grammar Pals?

[lindyhop]

I've always thought that an apostophe at the end of a word just hanging there all limp and useless didn't look right, unfinished somehow. So I decided to always use 's.

Of course I usually rewrite the sentence to avoid the issue entirely.