Apostrophe's

[Spaceman Spiff]

That parenthetical is untrue.

 

[Tulin]

Don't they annoy you when they're used incorrectly?

Yes.

Check out my sig.

Thoughts from the punctuation pedants please

No, it's not.

People should learn to use the language properly.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

You NEVER use it for plural possession.

The boys' bicycles.

Show me a book that says you do.

--Ted (now leaving "crotchety old man" mode)

"But when the possessor is a regular plural, the apostrophe follows the 's':

The boys' hats (more than one boy)
The babies' bibs.

Lynne Truss ~ Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

--K (replying in 'now do you see what I mean by confusing rules' mode)


And Tulin, in the case of apostrophes, 'properly' is hard to define

 

[Australis]

I don't see the problem, Ted.

One boy has a bike - The boy's bicycle

Two boys have bicycles - The boys' bicycles.

Did I miss something? I'm genuinely puzzled here.

 

[Tomalak]

The boys' bicycles is correct.

The one I'm never quite sure on is whether you need to add an extra 's' if the word already ends in an 's'. For example, "St. James' Park" or "St. James's Park"? The former is a football stadium in Newcastle, the latter a park in London.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I believe that's what TG is referring to. I think he's saying that you should never use the extra 's' for plural possessives. In other words, "The boys's bicycles" would be wrong.

In terms of singular words that end in 's,' such as 'James,' both ways are correct-- you can say 'James'' or 'James's'-- although the extra 's' is often awkward and really no longer in favor.