"Phillips's." Since, however, ears differ, no hard and fast rule can be laid down: "Hastings's," for example, has too many "s's" for most ears, but perhaps not for all. The addition of an "s" to a name of three or more syllables-e.g. "Demosthenes," "Hercules," "Hinterlands " would in almost every case give the word a disagreeable sound. One way of avoiding the additional "s" is to employ the objective case with "of." "The death of Lycidas," for example, is better than "Lycidas's death" or "Lycidas' death," "an act of Congress" than" Congress's act" or "Congress' act," "the correspondence of the Times"" than "the Times's correspondence" or "the Times' correspondence." Sometimes, however, the objective with "of" will not do we should say, for example, not "The point of the Times' is well taken," but "The point made by the Times' is well taken." The "Times" itself cuts the knot by advertising "The Times History of the South African War"; so used, "Times" is practically an adjective, as is "King James" in the phrase "the King James translation of the Bible." In the formation of the possessive singular of a common noun in "s" (or the sound of "s"), as in that of a proper noun, regard is paid to euphony. We say, for example, not "for politeness's sake," "for goodness's sake," "for conscience's sake," but "for politeness' sake," "for goodness' sake," "for conscience' sake"; and most of us would probably say, neither "the princess's presence” nor "the princess' presence," but "the presence of the princess." In poetry, the question of adding an "s" is often decided by the metre; for the "s" after an apostrophe counts as a full syllable. In forming the possessive singular of nouns ending in "s" or the sound of "s," add an "s" after the apostrophe unless euphony forbids. 1 That which is agreeable to the ear; from a Greek word meaning the quality of having a good voice. Possessive of "Anybody else." The possessive of "anybody else," "nobody else," "somebody else," is not absolutely fixed. I I have received your cards, but not anybody else's [or but nobody else's]. II I have received your cards, but not anybody's else. Some recognized authorities prefer anybody's else to "anybody else's." Mr. Henry James, for example, writes, "What do you know about trouble - either poor Nanda's, or mine, or anybody's else?" Horace Walpole used the same form even with a noun following: e.g. "I wish I could send you anybody's else life to write." At present, however, the weight of good usage inclines to "anybody else's." The natural place for the possessive sign, moreover, seems to be at the end of the possessive expression, as it is in the Duke of Kent's estate," "the heir apparent's name," "our brother-in-law's wishes." On the other hand, everybody says "whose else," not who else's. 66 EXERCISE X Insert an apostrophe wherever one is needed; add an "s" after the apostrophe when one is needed: 1. It was New Years eve. 2. They had passed within a stones throw of each other. 3. Burns home was not all that one might have wished it to be. 4. The ante-room was hung with deers horns and carpeted with tigers skins. 5. Read "The Pilgrims Progress” and Miltons "Paradise Lost.” 6. That is Dick Bates hat. 7. Our winter stock of ladies and gentlemens shoes is now ready. 8. He did it for conscience sake. 9. The reporters table was crowded this afternoon. 10. His was harsh penance on St. Agnes Eve: EXERCISE XI In place of each expression within quotation-marks, substitute a phrase in which one noun is in the possessive case: 1. There was a party at "the house of Polly Davis" last Friday. 2. Xantippe was "the wife of Socrates." 3. It will soon be "the turn of somebody else." 4. "The most striking characteristic of Keats" was his sensitiveness to beauty. 5. I have read three of "the novels of Dickens,” five of "those of Scott," two of "those of Jane Austen," and one of "those of George Eliot." Two Possessives or One? When two nouns (or more than two) hold the possessive relation to a following noun, a distinction is made between those cases which denote joint possession and those which denote separate possession. I I like the tone of Norris and Mann's pianos. Doe and Son's office is open. II I like the tone of Norris's and Mann's pianos. Doe's and Son's office is open. Each of these examples mentions the name of a firm. As such a name, composed though it may be of several words, denotes joint possession, it is practically one expression, and therefore takes but one possessive sign. I Dryden's and Rowe's manner [or Dryden's manner and Rowe's] are quite out of fashion. II Dryden and Rowe's manner are quite out of fashion. In the sentence under II, the absence of the possessive sign after Dryden implies that Dryden and Rowe had the same manner; but since the writer's use of a plural verb implies that each had a manner of his own, the possessive sign is needed after "Dryden" as well as after "Rowe." We should not say, "I like Goldsmith and Hawthorne's style"; for Goldsmith and Hawthorne did not write in collaboration or in the same style. I II Is that a redbreast's or an oriole's note? Is that a redbreast or an oriole's note! An absurd sentence like that under II comes sometimes, especially in conversation, from want of thought. I bought these rolls at Wright I bought these rolls at Wright's the baker's [or Wright's, the the baker. baker's]. 66 In this example, "shop" is understood; and surely we should say, not "Wright's the baker shop," but either Wright the baker's shop" or or "Wright's, the baker's, shop.' In the former case, "Wright the baker" may be regarded as a single expression requiring but one possessive sign; in the latter case, "the baker's" may be regarded as in apposition with " Wright's." In phrases like this, the best usage puts the possessive sign either with the second of the two nouns or with each of them. On grounds of euphony, the single possessive expression is usually preferable; thus, Mrs. Browning writes, "I send you my friend Mr. Horne's new epic and beg you to drop it at Mr. Eagles' feet." I They were visitors at the manor-house of Mr. Bingley [or at Mr. Bingley's manor-house]. II They were visitors at the manor. house of Mr. Bingley's. An unskilful writer sometimes uses both "of" and the possessive when either of the two would express his meaning. Here the meaning plainly is "at the manor-house of Mr. Bingley," or "at Mr. Bingley's manor-house." If the meaning were "at one of Mr. Bingley's manor-houses," the sentence might have read, in accordance with a peculiar but well-established idiom, "at a manor-house of Mr. Bingley's." Use as many possessive signs as there are possessive expressions, and no more. Possessive or "Of"? - Apart from the considerations of euphony already noticed,1 the question whether to put a noun in the possessive case or to use the objective case with "of" is sometimes perplexing. I I had a full understanding of [or I fully understood] the significance of the fact. II I had a full understanding of the fact's significance. In the older language, the possessive (or genitive) case was sometimes used when it would not be proper now. In the King James translation of the Gospels, for example, we find shoe's latchet, in Richardson's "Clarissa Harlowe' stair's foot, in Thackeray's "Henry Esmond" (which imitates the style of the period of Queen Anne) bed's foot; but we do not find such expressions in good authors today. The tendency of the best modern usage is to employ the objective case with "of," rather than to put into the possessive case a noun that represents a thing without life. Some short phrases-e.g. "a day's march," "a hair's breadth," "a night's lodging," "a week's wages,” “a year's absence," "at arm's length," "at his journey's end," "at his tongue's end," "at my wit's end," "for pity's sake," "out of harm's way," "the law's delay," the mind's eye, 'your money's worth" are so convenient that they have become standard English. 66 -- With pronouns still greater latitude is allowed. No one hesitates to write "by your leave," "in my absence," "in my behalf," "in his defence," "in their despite," "in his stead," "of her own accord,' 66 on our account,' ""to their credit." In our midst, on the other hand, is avoided by so many careful writers, and condemned by so many critics, that it may never fight its way into the accepted language. I There is a report of the postponement of the Cuban expedition. II There is a report of the Cuban expedition's postponement. 1 See page 46. |