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Sister's vs. Sisters'
Possessive and whoHow does the possessive apostrophe work in “it's”?“Consumers' wants” vs “Consumer wants”Differences between “my sister's house”/“the house of my sister”/“a house of my sister's”Is it ok to say “Improved the RBT's deletion operation's implementation”?How to use “verb” with “who”?“What is funny in people being injured?” vs “What is funny in peoples' being injured?”“Your face looks like my sister's friend face” or “my sister's friend”?How (much/many) (note/notes) did you take?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
Question regarding the use of apostrophe/ownership in the case of twins.
Noun: The Night Sisters (who constitute a twin object).
Sentence: Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters passing.
Would this be:
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sister's passing.
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
possessives grammatical-number apostrophe
add a comment |
Question regarding the use of apostrophe/ownership in the case of twins.
Noun: The Night Sisters (who constitute a twin object).
Sentence: Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters passing.
Would this be:
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sister's passing.
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
possessives grammatical-number apostrophe
add a comment |
Question regarding the use of apostrophe/ownership in the case of twins.
Noun: The Night Sisters (who constitute a twin object).
Sentence: Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters passing.
Would this be:
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sister's passing.
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
possessives grammatical-number apostrophe
Question regarding the use of apostrophe/ownership in the case of twins.
Noun: The Night Sisters (who constitute a twin object).
Sentence: Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters passing.
Would this be:
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sister's passing.
- Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
possessives grammatical-number apostrophe
possessives grammatical-number apostrophe
edited Apr 22 at 11:23
Dancrumb
1836
1836
asked Apr 21 at 16:24
MTilda101MTilda101
183
183
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
"The Night Sisters" is a plural noun. Therefore the possessive form is "The Night Sisters'", adding just an apostrophe. The proper form of thre example sentence is
Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
Similarly with other plural nouns:
I greatly enjoyed the Bermuda Islands' sunny beaches.
"the Bermuda Islands" is a plural noun
Pages run the Senators' errands.
"Senators" is a plural noun.
Note that this rule applies to all plural nouns. There is not a special rule for twins, but twins will often be referred to in the plural.
However, a singular noun that happens to end in the letter s does not follow this rule (Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Rule 1: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.")
- I enjoyed reading Charles's books.
The Shores's menu is quite extensive.
- The actress's performance drew loud applause.
- Chess's rules are more complex than those of the game Go.
Many native speakers ignore this rule, but in my view this is a mistake.
Often the possessive form can be avoided by rewriting. For example "The rules of chess" rather than "Chess's rules". Sometimes this improves the flow of the sentence.
To clarify the title question: A "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. The term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such. ("twins" can also mean a larger grouping of people who are twins, either in sets or not.) Thus
The twin's clothing
means the clothing of one person, who happens to be a twin, while
The twins' clothing
mean the clothing associated with a set of twins, or possibly with several sets. Given how easily these forms can be confused, if the distinction is important, the sentence should be rewritten for clarity, probably by avoiding the direct possessive. Thus:
Fred and John are twins. Fred's clothing is mostly red and white, while John's is blue and white.
But
Jane and Sally are twins. Their clothing is largely green and yellow.
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
"The Night Sisters" is a plural noun. Therefore the possessive form is "The Night Sisters'", adding just an apostrophe. The proper form of thre example sentence is
Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
Similarly with other plural nouns:
I greatly enjoyed the Bermuda Islands' sunny beaches.
"the Bermuda Islands" is a plural noun
Pages run the Senators' errands.
"Senators" is a plural noun.
Note that this rule applies to all plural nouns. There is not a special rule for twins, but twins will often be referred to in the plural.
However, a singular noun that happens to end in the letter s does not follow this rule (Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Rule 1: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.")
- I enjoyed reading Charles's books.
The Shores's menu is quite extensive.
- The actress's performance drew loud applause.
- Chess's rules are more complex than those of the game Go.
Many native speakers ignore this rule, but in my view this is a mistake.
Often the possessive form can be avoided by rewriting. For example "The rules of chess" rather than "Chess's rules". Sometimes this improves the flow of the sentence.
To clarify the title question: A "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. The term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such. ("twins" can also mean a larger grouping of people who are twins, either in sets or not.) Thus
The twin's clothing
means the clothing of one person, who happens to be a twin, while
The twins' clothing
mean the clothing associated with a set of twins, or possibly with several sets. Given how easily these forms can be confused, if the distinction is important, the sentence should be rewritten for clarity, probably by avoiding the direct possessive. Thus:
Fred and John are twins. Fred's clothing is mostly red and white, while John's is blue and white.
But
Jane and Sally are twins. Their clothing is largely green and yellow.
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
add a comment |
"The Night Sisters" is a plural noun. Therefore the possessive form is "The Night Sisters'", adding just an apostrophe. The proper form of thre example sentence is
Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
Similarly with other plural nouns:
I greatly enjoyed the Bermuda Islands' sunny beaches.
"the Bermuda Islands" is a plural noun
Pages run the Senators' errands.
"Senators" is a plural noun.
Note that this rule applies to all plural nouns. There is not a special rule for twins, but twins will often be referred to in the plural.
However, a singular noun that happens to end in the letter s does not follow this rule (Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Rule 1: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.")
- I enjoyed reading Charles's books.
The Shores's menu is quite extensive.
- The actress's performance drew loud applause.
- Chess's rules are more complex than those of the game Go.
Many native speakers ignore this rule, but in my view this is a mistake.
Often the possessive form can be avoided by rewriting. For example "The rules of chess" rather than "Chess's rules". Sometimes this improves the flow of the sentence.
To clarify the title question: A "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. The term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such. ("twins" can also mean a larger grouping of people who are twins, either in sets or not.) Thus
The twin's clothing
means the clothing of one person, who happens to be a twin, while
The twins' clothing
mean the clothing associated with a set of twins, or possibly with several sets. Given how easily these forms can be confused, if the distinction is important, the sentence should be rewritten for clarity, probably by avoiding the direct possessive. Thus:
Fred and John are twins. Fred's clothing is mostly red and white, while John's is blue and white.
But
Jane and Sally are twins. Their clothing is largely green and yellow.
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
add a comment |
"The Night Sisters" is a plural noun. Therefore the possessive form is "The Night Sisters'", adding just an apostrophe. The proper form of thre example sentence is
Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
Similarly with other plural nouns:
I greatly enjoyed the Bermuda Islands' sunny beaches.
"the Bermuda Islands" is a plural noun
Pages run the Senators' errands.
"Senators" is a plural noun.
Note that this rule applies to all plural nouns. There is not a special rule for twins, but twins will often be referred to in the plural.
However, a singular noun that happens to end in the letter s does not follow this rule (Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Rule 1: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.")
- I enjoyed reading Charles's books.
The Shores's menu is quite extensive.
- The actress's performance drew loud applause.
- Chess's rules are more complex than those of the game Go.
Many native speakers ignore this rule, but in my view this is a mistake.
Often the possessive form can be avoided by rewriting. For example "The rules of chess" rather than "Chess's rules". Sometimes this improves the flow of the sentence.
To clarify the title question: A "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. The term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such. ("twins" can also mean a larger grouping of people who are twins, either in sets or not.) Thus
The twin's clothing
means the clothing of one person, who happens to be a twin, while
The twins' clothing
mean the clothing associated with a set of twins, or possibly with several sets. Given how easily these forms can be confused, if the distinction is important, the sentence should be rewritten for clarity, probably by avoiding the direct possessive. Thus:
Fred and John are twins. Fred's clothing is mostly red and white, while John's is blue and white.
But
Jane and Sally are twins. Their clothing is largely green and yellow.
"The Night Sisters" is a plural noun. Therefore the possessive form is "The Night Sisters'", adding just an apostrophe. The proper form of thre example sentence is
Mary tended John throughout the Night Sisters' passing.
Similarly with other plural nouns:
I greatly enjoyed the Bermuda Islands' sunny beaches.
"the Bermuda Islands" is a plural noun
Pages run the Senators' errands.
"Senators" is a plural noun.
Note that this rule applies to all plural nouns. There is not a special rule for twins, but twins will often be referred to in the plural.
However, a singular noun that happens to end in the letter s does not follow this rule (Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, Rule 1: Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.")
- I enjoyed reading Charles's books.
The Shores's menu is quite extensive.
- The actress's performance drew loud applause.
- Chess's rules are more complex than those of the game Go.
Many native speakers ignore this rule, but in my view this is a mistake.
Often the possessive form can be avoided by rewriting. For example "The rules of chess" rather than "Chess's rules". Sometimes this improves the flow of the sentence.
To clarify the title question: A "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. The term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such. ("twins" can also mean a larger grouping of people who are twins, either in sets or not.) Thus
The twin's clothing
means the clothing of one person, who happens to be a twin, while
The twins' clothing
mean the clothing associated with a set of twins, or possibly with several sets. Given how easily these forms can be confused, if the distinction is important, the sentence should be rewritten for clarity, probably by avoiding the direct possessive. Thus:
Fred and John are twins. Fred's clothing is mostly red and white, while John's is blue and white.
But
Jane and Sally are twins. Their clothing is largely green and yellow.
edited Apr 21 at 19:34
answered Apr 21 at 17:08
David SiegelDavid Siegel
3,842420
3,842420
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
add a comment |
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
1
1
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Much appreciated, David! Either I did my homework before, or I guessed the usage correctly; for in the two spots I had it written, I did use it as the Night Sisters'. Alas, I often question the validity of my own mind, and after some halfhearted online searching, couldn't find any relative examples. :D
– MTilda101
Apr 21 at 18:00
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
Because of the title of the question, I would recommend adding to this good answer the fact that the correct possessive for one pair of twins would be "twin's", as in: "She is the twin's mother". Of course, if you were talking about multiple pairs of twins, it would be "twins'", as in: "Both pairs of twins have the same mother, and she is the twins' mother."
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:06
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@ Ben Hocking that would be incorrect. a "twin" is a single person who is one of a pair or set of twins. the term for a set is 'twins" or "a pair of twins", which is plural, and treated as such.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:25
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@DavidSiegel — in thinking about it more, I agree you are correct, which just underscores the importance of mentioning it explicitly. ;)
– Ben Hocking
Apr 21 at 19:29
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
@Ben Hocking Thank you. I have added a clarification to the answer.
– David Siegel
Apr 21 at 19:35
add a comment |
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