Do you find yourself debating whether to use singular possessive or plural possessive in your writing? This was my challenge this past week when helping a colleague figure out where to put her apostrophes or whether she even needed to use the apostrophe at all.
1. Determine True Possessive and Descriptive Possessive.
Possessive = whose
the employee’s personnel file
California’s laws
the Tinsleys’ residence
Descriptive = what kind of
the employee personnel file
California laws
the Tinsley residence
They are both correct, but keep it consistent in the document you are writing. Also, names of countries, governmental units, and organized groups ending in ”s” usually do not require an apostrophe.
2. Add an Apostrophe “s” to Form the Possessive of Singular Nouns Not Ending in “s” and For Plural Nouns Not Ending in “s.”
Linda’s condo
The dog’s bark
The woman’s voice
The women’s voices
3. Add Only an Apostrophe to Form the Possessive Both Singular and Plural Nouns ending in “s.”
Jess’ class
Sears’ blowout sale
the boss’ directives
Some writers prefer to add both an apostrophe “s,” especially if the new word has an extra syllable.
Jess’s class
the boss’s directives
the actress’s screen debut
This practice of using the additional “s” is declining.
4. Use Only a Single Apostrophe “s” when Joint Possession is Intended.
Layne and Lynda’s music
Clarify if the item is not owned jointly.
Layne’s and Lynda’s music
or
Layne’s music and Lynda’s music
5. Add an Apostrophe “s” to the End of Personal and Organizational Names and Abbreviations Showing Possession.
Borders’ hiring procedure
SMUD’s payment policy
Yale’s orientation
Check the letterhead or other correspondence for exceptional cases.
6. Some Possessives Occur Without a Following Noun.
My job is similar to Lynda’s.
She was at the dentist’s.
7. Use a Possessive to Modify an “ing” for of a Verb Used as a Noun.
Lynda’s speaking skills are a little rusty.
I appreciate my colleague’s writing skills.
I suggested to my colleague, to make it easier to figure out whether to use the singular or plural use, to insert her own name in determining whether to put the apostrophe before or after the “s.” It helps, but remembering that the singular use indicates one and the plural use indicates more than one is what you want to make clear.
Simply put, singular and plural indicates whether it is one or more and possessive indicates ownership or, in other cases, other close relationships.
What tips and ideas do you have that helps your writing? English is definitely one of the more difficult languages and we have so many rules, as well as exceptions. Sometimes it is tough to figure out what rules to apply. It is also a fun language to get creative with your writing as well. With practice, you will get better and the more curious you will get about learning writing structure and technique. Let me know how you are doing with that.
With great affection,
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This is a referral post. More self-improvement for your writing.
One of the many things I do for work is review memos, reports, presentations, really anything that must form a coherent sentence and structure a thought. A big misunderstanding is the use of commas. Sometimes the rules may be flexible, but the idea is to be consistent. For example, using commas in a series. If you use it to separate every item, then make sure you use that style throughout. I prefer using the comma to separate every item because there are times when some things go together and the comma ensures that each thing is distinct in being presented. Just my preference.
I am attaching the link here for you to get some insight into the use and misuse of the comma. I couldn’t have put it better.
http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/10/dumblittleman-guide-to-comma-use.html
Proofreading
1. Repeated words. Your spellchecker will usually flag these.
2. Substitutions and omissions. Missing words reduce the flow of your sentence or change the meaning of your statement. Pay attention that your “auto correction” does not transpose or change the intended word. Also, for example, you typed “word,” but meant to type “work.” Working with numbers and figures, you typed “$1250,” but meant “$12.50.” In legal documents, this can have serious ramifications.
3. Key data errors. Incorrect digits in phone numbers, zip codes, acronyms, and misspelling of names, cities, and addresses.
4. Transposing letters, numbers, and words. Such as “Kelly,” when the person’s correct spelling is “Kelley.” I always have to tell people how to spell my name because it is unusual, “Layne” instead of “Lane.” An example of a transposed word that means something else entirely, such as “trial” instead of “trail.”
5. Errors in spacing and inconsistency in formatting. If you indent one paragraph, indent them all. I prefer the double-space between sentences. You don’t have to with computers, but it still gives that bit of definition between sentence/thoughts. It also creates that little bit of white space so the paragraphs don’t “look” crammed. Also, make sure that you don’t have a double-space between words within a paragraph. When on full justification, that is when you will see it become distinctly noticeable. Which reminds me, check your justification that all paragraphs conform to the same style (full, left, right, and center), as well as tab settings (left, center, right, decimal bar) along with their leader style.
Editing
1. Spelling. You will be looking for compound words (hyphenated), plural and possessive endings. If you allow word division in your document, where part of a word runs to the next line with a hyphen breaking it, check the accuracy of the break.
2. Check for accuracy, omission, or extra punctuation marks. Should a question mark have been used instead of a period? Are commas being used consistently in all sentences that list a series (e.g., “period, comma, and colon” or “period, comma and colon”). Did you mean to use a colon instead of a semi-colon? Is a period missing before another complete sentence?
3. Check for errors in capitalization, number, and abbreviation style. Remember one through ten are spelled out. Unless your document relays a lot of numeric data, consistency take precedence. It is all about a consistent look and feel. If the month precedes the day, do not use “th,” “rd,” and “st.” If the day comes first, then you can apply those. Pay attention to the rules that apply to numbers.
4. Grammar and usage. Examples are “have” or “has” and “who” or “whom.” Did you mean “everyone” or “every one?” Brush up on these, sometimes they can be confusing.
5. Inconsistencies in wording. An example would be, “Mary and Fred had a great time at the seminar. We will have to let Jeff know so she should attend the next one.” The inconsistency would be if you recall Jeff having attended. Bring that to attention when making the edits. Also, pay attention to wording that translates a meaning that you did not intend (e.g., “The food was great at Rio City Café except Sunday.” Does that mean the food isn’t good on Sunday? or are they just closed?).
6. Inconsistencies in format. Look for consistency in titles, text, headings, displayed extracts, and numbered and bulleted lists. This includes font, font size, placement, etc.
7. Organization and writing style. The material may be correct in grammar, style, and usage, but it could still be unclear, repetitive wording, clumsy sentence structure, weak organization, or the tone is not appropriate for the purpose of the material.
8. Finally, look at the document through the intended recipient’s perspective. Does it accomplish its objective? Does it answer the four questions, who, what, when, where, and why? Is it meant to be persuasive or informational? Determine the objective and see if it fills that, or does it leave questions. NOTE: You may need someone else to look at it with fresh eyes as an objective, third party to determine this if you have spent a lot of time with it.
I would have preferred to separate these so it is not way too much information to digest, but proofing and editing seem to go together. I hope you find this information helpful. It will definitely help in making you the “go to” person when it comes to reviewing documentation. It is also nice to have a sort of “cheat sheet” of reminders of the various things to look out for proofing and editing documents.
This information was researched using the assistant’s “bible,” The Gregg Reference Manual, 10th Edition.
Please be kind if you find yourself proofing and editing this post. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.
