Answers to Questions About Apostrophes

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Here are three questions from readers about use of apostrophes to mark possession or plurality, followed by my responses.

1. When I have a list of people who all possess something, how do I handle the apostrophe(s)? Which of the following sentences is correct?:

“Today is John, Mary, and my second anniversary with the company.”

“Today is John’s, Mary’s, and my second anniversary with the company.”

“Today is John, Mary’s, and my second anniversary with the company.”

“Today is John’s, Mary’s, and my second anniversary with the company” is correct, because the possessive (or, more accurately, genitive) function of my covers only itself, and each of the names needs its own possessive markers — they can’t share one. (Even “Today is John and Mary’s second anniversary with the company” works only if they joined as a single unit; by contrast, “Today is John and Mary’s second wedding anniversary” is correct because it implies that they united as a couple.)

2. Which of the following options regarding the apostrophe s is correct?:

“This view of Smith regarding the relation between rationality and social contexts is inspired by Marx’s philosophy.”

“This view of Smith’s regarding the relation between rationality and social contexts is inspired by Marx’s philosophy.”

The apostrophe plus s is correct: This is an example of the possessive, or genitive, case; the view “belongs” to Smith, so it should be treated as if you wrote “Smith’s view . . . .” (One could also write, “This view from Smith . . .,” but the possessive form reads better.)

3. Recently, there was a headline in the Los Angeles Times that read, “The what if’s of Iraq.” Is the apostrophe in if’s correct?

No. It should read, “The what ifs of Iraq” (or, better yet, what-ifs), just as one would refer to more than one no as nos (not no’s) and a list of recommendations as “dos and don’ts” (not don’t’s). The editors probably thought that “what ifs” looks odd, but they violated the rule “Minimize exceptions”: They wouldn’t (one hopes) insert a second apostrophe in don’ts, so why put an extraneous one in “what ifs”?

Answers to Questions About Usage

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Many writers — native English speakers and nonnative speakers alike — are confounded by uncertainty or confusion about usage, the complicated issue of what, exactly, a given word means regardless of its practical or official definition. 

1. One of the words I hear all the time, which I believe is improperly used, is hopefully, as in “Hopefully, we’ll be successful.” I’d love to hear your thoughts about using this word — hopefully, you’ll agree with me.

For better or worse, in the usage you abhor, hopefully is firmly established, and employment in its original sense (“in a hopeful manner,” as in “I waited hopefully for her response”) has all but disappeared. The only thing one can do to curtail its use is avoid using it oneself, but this is a case in which the people have spoken: The new sense will prevail.

2. For the past few years, I’ve been noticing the use of “only ever,” as in “I only ever stay on the weekends.” Isn’t ever unnecessary and perhaps incorrect?

Yes, ever is an extraneous intensifier. It’s not incorrect, but it should be avoided in formal writing.

3. May “Thank you for correcting me” sound ironic in Modern English? I once used it and got negative feedback. And I think it has pejorative connotation in English, though in my mother tongue it’s just a way to express gratitude or thanks.

Yes, “Thank you for correcting me” looks perfectly neutral, but it’s not: In English, the notion of correcting someone has a negative connotation, like being criticized or scolded, and someone who receives that comment from you may assume that you’re resentful for the assistance.

Depending on the situation, it would be better to say or write, “Thank you for providing me with the correct information” (less concise, but neutral in tone) or “Thank you for clarifying that for me.” In American English, at least, an informal, friendly way to acknowledge correction is “Thanks for setting me straight.”

Five Answers to Questions About Direct Address

 

1. I want to tell athletes at my school, where the mascot is a wildcat, to be proud of their team’s accomplishment. Should I write, “Be proud Wildcats” or “Be proud, Wildcats”? I see things like this written all the time without a comma, but something tells me I should include one.

You’re right. Both exhortations are correct, but if you write, “Be proud Wildcats,” you’re telling your readers to be proud Wildcats. “Be proud, Wildcats” is addressed directly to the athletes; you’re telling the Wildcats to be proud. It’s a subtle difference, but the version with the comma conveys the meaning you want.

Also, when pondering whether to write something the way you see it all the time, consider the source: Direct address shows up a lot in informal, conversational (and frequently careless) writing such as email messages and written notes, but in published form, a comma generally (and correctly) separates the term of address from the statement.

2. One issue that comes up in my email communication is the situation in which I am addressing a known group of families, ladies, parents, or students. If I begin my email with “Hello, Ladies,” should “Ladies” be capitalized?

According to The Gregg Reference Manual, in the salutation of a letter (or an email message) — a form of direct address — capitalize the first word and all nouns.

3. When should familial terms like mom be capitalized?

Capitalize mom and related words when the term is a form of direct address substituting for a name: You’re asking, “Can I go see a movie, Mom?” just as you would ask, “Can I go see a movie, Jane?”

When you speak of your mother to another person, substituting mom for her name, the word, for the same reason, is capitalized: Compare “I asked Mom if I could go see a movie” and “I asked Jane if I could go see a movie.”

But if you precede mom with a pronoun, it is a generic noun, equivalent to a designation for any other person: “I asked my mom if I could go see a movie” is equivalent to “I asked my dentist if I could go see a movie.”

4. Why is the word miss not capitalized in your example “Please, miss, can you tell me the time?”

The capitalization system for addressing people by a term other than a name is confusing. The first letters of words for job and familial titles are capitalized, but titles of respect like sir and miss, as well as terms of endearment (such as dear), are styled entirely in lowercase letters.

5. In “Your majesty, his imperial highness summons the prince to the Command Council Tent,” should I change his to His?

Yes, but you shouldn’t uppercase only the first letter of his. Both “your majesty” and “his imperial highness” are used as titles; thus, all those words should be initially capitalized: “Your Majesty, His Imperial Highness summons the prince to the Command Council’s tent.”

Technically, because “his imperial highness” is in the third person, it should not be initial-capped unless it precedes the person’s name, but such courtesies for monarchs are often excepted from this rule.

(Also, if there is an official body called the Command Council, by all means capitalize its name. However, although you would capitalize room or chamber, for example, if there were a designated space for it to meet, because of a tent’s ephemeral nature, I don’t think tent merits the same treatment. Note that in the reference to the Command Council, I’ve made that body’s name possessive.)

Answers to Questions About Tense

A reader submitted three queries about which verb forms to use to indicate various tenses. Here are the questions and my responses.

1. When do you use have with another verb, and when do you omit it? (For example, “I have said yesterday . . .” vs. “I said yesterday . . . .”) When do you use had? (“I had said yesterday . . . .”)

“I have said yesterday . . .” is erroneous. Use have in this type of construction only when you want to emphasize that the action occurred at an unspecified time: “I have said that I would support the policy.” (This form is called the present perfect tense.) Use had for the past perfect tense, when you want to indicate that something happened before a previous occurrence or a previous time: “I had said that I would support the policy, but that was before I realized it is unfair.”

2. When should I use would as in “I would want to eat there,” as opposed to “I want to eat there”? What is the difference?

“I would want to eat there” implies or precedes a condition: “I would want to eat there if it weren’t so expensive.” “I want to eat there,” by contrast, expresses a simple desire.

3. What’s the difference between “If I can, then I will” and “If I could, then I would”?

“If I can, then I will” expresses a simple desire to accommodate. “If I could, then I would” implies that, because of a condition that is unnamed or not yet named, one is unable to accommodate.