My boss’/boss’s car is the same as mine.

[Alice Chu]

Are the following sentences correct?
1) My boss’/boss’s car is the same as mine.
2) James’/James’s bike is similar to yours.

 

[Piscean]

#1 - boss' is incorrect.
#2 - James' is possible, but is rarely used these days.

 

[TheParser]

2) James’/James’s bike is similar to yours.

NOT A TEACHER

I think that it is accurate to say that here in the (United) States, most people would find "James's" strange-looking. Only a few people nowadays (including me) insist on the second "s."

Most people would simply write, for example, "James' house is in a nice neighborhood."

Of course, in speech, it should be pronounced as "Jameses house," not "James house."

Many Americans consider a second "s" as unnecessary clutter. That is why I am confident that most contemporary Americans would also write, for example, "I accidentally ran my car into the boss' car." (Of course, it should be pronounced as "bosses car.")

 

[GoesStation]

I'd write the boss's car. I'd be surprised to see the phrase without the final s.

 

[Tdol]

Traditionally in BRE, I was taught that we would say James' for a first name and James's for a second name. which is why saints who only have one name do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James's_Park. They do confuse the issue if you follow this "rule".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

NOT A TEACHER

I think that it is accurate to say that here in the (United) States, most people would find "James's" strange-looking. Only a few people nowadays (including me) insist on the second "s."

Most people would simply write, for example, "James' house is in a nice neighborhood."

Of course, in speech, it should be pronounced as "Jameses house," not "James house."

Many Americans consider a second "s" as unnecessary clutter. That is why I am confident that most contemporary Americans would also write, for example, "I accidentally ran my car into the boss' car." (Of course, it should be pronounced as "bosses car.")

If that's true, I haven't noticed it. To this American, James' is strange looking. If I pronounce the S, I write the S. James's, boss's, jazz's, Bruce's. Leaving out the S would make them look like contractions.

But the important thing is to be consistent.

 

[probus]

Just for fum, I thought of seeing what Google thinks. Google Translate gives St James's as Jaymzuz, as do I.

 

[emsr2d2]

I agree that there is usually no extra "s" after the apostrophe with the names of saints, but I would use one after people's names (first name or surname). What you need to remember is that if you pluralise a surname (that already ends in an "s") and make it a possessive, you don't use another "s" at the end.

This is James's car. (James is his first name.)
This is Mr James's car. (James is his surname.)
This is the Jameses' car. (James is the surname.)

In the third, we are talking about the James family. It's their surname and the car belongs to all of them. We wouldn't write "the Jameses's car". The neatest way to write it is "This is the James family's car".

 

[jutfrank]

Many Americans consider a second "s" as unnecessary clutter. That is why I am confident that most contemporary Americans would also write, for example, "I accidentally ran my car into the boss' car." (Of course, it should be pronounced as "bosses car.")

I would be stunned if that were true. Don't forget that many Americans also place an apostrophe before an 's' to show that a noun is plural!

For me, this is all very simple: just write it as you'd pronounce it. Nobody would say the boss' car. We say the boss's car.

 

[GoesStation]

I would be stunned if that were true. Don't forget that many Americans also place an apostrophe before an 's' to show that a noun is plural!

For me, this is all very simple: just write it as you'd pronounce it. Nobody would say the boss' car. We say the boss's car.

If I remember right, I was actually taught to write the boss' car, many decades ago now. I haven't done it since I was twenty or so and, as I noted above, would be surprised to see anyone else do it.

 

[Tarheel]

Don't forget that many Americans also place an apostrophe before an 's' to show that a noun is plural!

Yes, they do. And it's really annoying.
:-|

 

[probus]

Yes, they do. And it's really annoying.
:-|

To be fair, however, Americans are not the only ones guilty of misused apostrophes.

 

[Tdol]

Aye, British greengrocers have been selling apple's and pear's for years.

 

[emsr2d2]

I used to be a member of the now defunct UK-based Apostrophe Appreciation Society. Members were encouraged to carry a black marker pen to obliterate unnecessary apostrophes and a bottle of Tippex (White-Out) to add missing ones to any offending signs we saw.

 

[Rover_KE]

Or maybe the other way round depending on the background colour of the message.

 

[Tdol]

Someone asked whether it should be the grocer's apostrophe or the grocers' apostrophe. It's a tricky question.

 

[Tdol]

I used to be a member of the now defunct UK-based Apostrophe Appreciation Society. Members were encouraged to carry a black marker pen to obliterate unnecessary apostrophes and a bottle of Tippex (White-Out) to add missing ones to any offending signs we saw.

My mother gave her local supermarket sufficient hell for them to know, and correct in their signage, the difference between less and fewer. They didn't roll it out nationwide, but they had one branch where pedants could breathe a sigh of relief.

 

[emsr2d2]

Ah, yes, the famous "10 items or less" till sign! It still drives me mad. :argue:

 

[Tdol]

It was changed in one town in the Midlands.

 

[5jj]

Ah, yes, the famous "10 items or less" till sign! It still drives me mad. :argue:

That often appears in shops that decline to accept card payments for purchases amounting to £10 or fewer.

:roll: