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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Possessive case
Possessive case
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hania_arshes
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Possessive case
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Hi!
I �m practicing possessive case with my students right now and a problem came out. How do we use possessive case with families ending in s? For example, "The Adams" - do we write:
The Adams �s house.
or
The Adams � house. ?
Do we pronounce it �Adamses �?
Thanks a lot for your help and have a wonderful day!
Hania
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20 Feb 2011
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britishschwa
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Hello,
I was taught that "Adams� house" was correct, but style manuals have changed since then, and while there may still be some holdouts in favor of "Adams� house," I believe most sources would now say "Adams�s house."
The rule, as I�ve heard it, is that the possessive of proper nouns is formed in the same way as common nouns, except for certain names where that would be awkward -e.g., Moses, Jesus, and Xerxes.
the pronunciation of adams�/ adams�s is /adamziz/
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20 Feb 2011
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yanogator
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Hi If the family name is Adams, then as a group they are "The Adamses", not "The Adams". The possessive for their (as a group - plural) house is "The Adamses � house". If Mr. Adams has a car, it is "Mr. Adams �s car". I hope this helps you, Bruce |
20 Feb 2011
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