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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
I'm making a wood sign for a teacher. The teacher's name is Mrs. Evans. Should the title read 'Mrs. Evans' class' ? If I remember correctly it's written that way and not Evans's right?
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Posted 12/3/18 10:22 PM  |
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GoodThoughts
Dreams do come true
Member since 2/12 2259 total posts
Name:
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Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
It’s Evans’s
APA style
And from grammarist.com:
Possessive last names
When it comes to possessives, last names are, again, like other nouns. We make names that don’t end in s possessive by adding ‘s—for example, Mr. Johnson’s hat, Ms. Smith’s umbrella. There are two schools of thought regarding singular nouns, including singular last names, ending in s. Some make these words possessive by adding ‘s (Mr. Jones’s house, Ms. Doss’s car), and some add only an apostrophe (Mr. Jones’ house, Ms. Doss’ car). Some English reference books recommend the former approach and some the latter, and some say both are acceptable. Purists tend to prefer the former, which is more traditional.
ETA: I, personally, write Evans’. It’s acceptable.
Message edited 12/3/2018 11:09:35 PM.
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| Posted 12/3/18 10:58 PM |
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
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Message edited 12/3/2018 11:01:07 PM.
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| Posted 12/3/18 10:59 PM |
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Oh boy I thought you had it right the first way
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| Posted 12/3/18 11:00 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/apostrophe.html
The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.
excessive lawyers’ fees
children’s toys
the twins’ parents
the student teachers’ supervisor
the Smiths’ vacation house
the boys’ baseball team
the alumni’s fundraising
someone with twelve years’ experience
Mrs. Evans' class
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| Posted 12/3/18 11:02 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Posted by GoodThoughts
It’s Evans’s
APA style
And from grammarist.com:
Possessive last names
When it comes to possessives, last names are, again, like other nouns. We make names that don’t end in s possessive by adding ‘s—for example, Mr. Johnson’s hat, Ms. Smith’s umbrella. There are two schools of thought regarding singular nouns, including singular last names, ending in s. Some make these words possessive by adding ‘s (Mr. Jones’s house, Ms. Doss’s car), and some add only an apostrophe (Mr. Jones’ house, Ms. Doss’ car). Some English reference books recommend the former approach and some the latter, and some say both are acceptable. Purists tend to prefer the former, which is more traditional.
ETA: I, personally, write Evans’. It’s acceptable.
So basically, either way is good. If you're paying by the character, use Evans' .... 
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| Posted 12/3/18 11:26 PM |
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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Posted by GoldenRod
Posted by GoodThoughts
It’s Evans’s
APA style
And from grammarist.com:
Possessive last names
When it comes to possessives, last names are, again, like other nouns. We make names that don’t end in s possessive by adding ‘s—for example, Mr. Johnson’s hat, Ms. Smith’s umbrella. There are two schools of thought regarding singular nouns, including singular last names, ending in s. Some make these words possessive by adding ‘s (Mr. Jones’s house, Ms. Doss’s car), and some add only an apostrophe (Mr. Jones’ house, Ms. Doss’ car). Some English reference books recommend the former approach and some the latter, and some say both are acceptable. Purists tend to prefer the former, which is more traditional.
ETA: I, personally, write Evans’. It’s acceptable.
So basically, either way is good. If you're paying by the character, use Evans' ....
Haha! Good to know I won't be wrong either way. I'm making the sign so it will cost me the same amount either way ?? Thank you everyone for your input!!
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| Posted 12/3/18 11:33 PM |
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tourist
Member since 5/05 10425 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Posted by GoldenRod
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/apostrophe.html
The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.
excessive lawyers’ fees
children’s toys
the twins’ parents
the student teachers’ supervisor
the Smiths’ vacation house
the boys’ baseball team
the alumni’s fundraising
someone with twelve years’ experience
Mrs. Evans' class
But Evans isn't a plural noun here, so you would still add the extra S.
Smiths' is different because it is plural.
Mr. Smith's house.
The Smiths. ( multiple people names Smith.)
The Smiths's house( the house belonging to the multiple Smiths.
A singular noun end in in S, gets the 's .
Chris's house.
the same way you would say Tim's house.
In the this case, Mrs. Evans is a singular noun ending in S, like the name Chris.
So her class is Mrs. Evans's class. I would do it that way, even if the other is considered acceptable now, b/c the way I wrote it is traditional and most teachers probably would lean that way.
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| Posted 12/4/18 12:00 AM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Posted by tourist
Posted by GoldenRod
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/apostrophe.html
The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.
excessive lawyers’ fees
children’s toys
the twins’ parents
the student teachers’ supervisor
the Smiths’ vacation house
the boys’ baseball team
the alumni’s fundraising
someone with twelve years’ experience
Mrs. Evans' class
But Evans isn't a plural noun here, so you would still add the extra S.
Smiths' is different because it is plural.
Mr. Smith's house.
The Smiths. ( multiple people names Smith.)
The Smiths's house( the house belonging to the multiple Smiths.
A singular noun end in in S, gets the 's .
Chris's house.
the same way you would say Tim's house.
In the this case, Mrs. Evans is a singular noun ending in S, like the name Chris.
So her class is Mrs. Evans's class. I would do it that way, even if the other is considered acceptable now, b/c the way I wrote it is traditional and most teachers probably would lean that way.
But this site says even singular nouns can go either way:
https://grammarist.com/style/last-names/
(As GoodThoughts mentioned above)
There are tons of sites that list both options as acceptable.
Neither way is wrong, so I would go with whichever way looks best to you.
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| Posted 12/4/18 12:13 AM |
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klingklang77
kraftwerk!
Member since 7/06 11489 total posts
Name:
Völlig losgelöst
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
I’m a purist and according to Michael Swan it’s Evans’s. He’s like the God of grammar.
However, people have been using Evans’, which is creeping into regular usage. That irks me to no end.
I teach this stuff, and I always go with the former. I then tell my students that native speakers might say the latter, but it’s really not correct.
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| Posted 12/4/18 4:10 AM |
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Tulip9
LIF Adolescent
Member since 2/14 597 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
just give her a gc to target and have make yourself a sign.... 
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| Posted 12/4/18 8:12 AM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Posted by Tulip9
just give her a gc to target and have make yourself a sign....
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| Posted 12/4/18 8:44 AM |
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Christine2
LIF Adult
Member since 2/09 1217 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, but it is acceptable to do so.
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| Posted 12/4/18 9:09 PM |
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
APA, MLA, and Strunk and White would all call for Evans’s.
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| Posted 12/4/18 10:56 PM |
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Re: Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
Just use her first name
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| Posted 12/5/18 12:18 AM |
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bunnyluck
LIF Adult
Member since 1/14 3196 total posts
Name:
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Need help from all you English/apostrophe buffs
My last name ends in an s and I very partial to 's. It's most standard and you can't question it.
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| Posted 12/5/18 2:49 PM |
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