Plural Possessives

[KornGeek]

What is the correct possessive form of plural nouns that don't end in "s"?

For instance:
children
men
women
fish
deer
cacti
data

This arose from a discussion with a friend who had a grammar portion of a final where she needed to identify the correct possessive form of "children". My answer disagreed with the instructor's answer. (To avoid bias, I will avoid disclosing our answers for now.)

 

[CajunCenturion]

Apostrophe s.
children's
men's
women's
etc.

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[AnotherHiggins]

yep, apostrophe s.


[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

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[jebenson]

Ayup. Apostrophe s.



I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day!

 

[ettienne]

It's not chillrens?

 

[SantaMufasa]

It's chillin's, to be precise!

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[CajunCenturion]

That's cold, Dave.

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[SantaMufasa]

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[KornGeek]

OK,

My friend had answered children's, which was my answer as well, but the instructor marked it wrong and claimed it's supposed to be childrens'.

In addition to validation for y'all, I also found this link:

http://www.meredith.edu/grammar/plural.htm#Plural possessive

My friend is going to email the instructor and argue for the 3 points which will make no difference to her grade (it's a pride thing).

 

[CajunCenturion]

Quite simply, the instructor is wrong.

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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
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[strongm]

Very, very wrong

 

[ettienne]

No, that's wrong. It is children's.

 

[KornGeek]

So, in the phrase "The fish's fins", how can we tell if it refers to the fins of a single fish or the fins of multiple fish?

Would "jury's" refer to things belonging to one group of people while "jurys'" refers to things belonging to multiple groups? (Is "jurys" even the correct spelling?)

 

[SantaMufasa]

KG,

That is outrageous that a person attempting to teach such a concept could get it so wrong. The Internet is replete with scholarly sites that all sustantiate what we are saying here. This one, in fact uses children's as their primary example. (You may need to scroll down about 3/4" (2 cm.) to see their usage.)

Let us know how the negotiations turn out with the mistaken "instructor". Ask her/him for a link to a site that substantiates what s/he asserts.

We'll all be interested in seeing the outcome.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[KornGeek]

Santa,

That's the same site I forwarded to my friend. She might not even hear back from the instructor (I think grades have already been submitted), but if I hear anything, I'll let you all know.

 

[CajunCenturion]

The plural of jury is juries.

jury's --> singular possessive
juries' --> plural possessive


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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein