Apostrophe for Plural Possessive
The Apostrophe
Rulebase Summary
Use an apostrophe after the s in most plural nouns to show possession. The singular possessive and the plural possessive of a word will often sound the same — the court reporter must read the context very carefully for clues as to which form is intended.
Examples
A. The plaintiff's attorneys filed the motion together.
A. The plaintiffs' attorneys filed the motion together.
When multiple plaintiffs share attorneys, the apostrophe goes after the s in the plural noun.
A. Both girl's bicycles were stolen from the rack.
A. Both girls' bicycles were stolen from the rack.
'Both' signals a plural subject — the apostrophe follows the s to show plural possession.
Transcript Notes
The singular possessive and the plural possessive often sound identical (plaintiff's vs plaintiffs', witness's vs witnesses', girl's vs girls'). Usually only one of the two is acceptable based on context. Read the pairs carefully and the context will reveal which is intended.
Style Guide References (3)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP