Apostrophe for Possessive Nouns Ending in S or Z
The Apostrophe
Rulebase Summary
When a singular noun ends in s or z, the possessive may be formed by adding an apostrophe and s if an extra s syllable is heard and written in the reporter's notes. If the reporter does not hear the extra s syllable, the singular possessive is made by just adding the apostrophe.
Examples
A. I reviewed Jones report before the hearing.
A. I reviewed Jones's report before the hearing.
If the speaker says three syllables (Jones-es), write Jones's with the apostrophe and s.
A. That was Reynolds's decision to make.
A. That was Reynolds' decision to make.
If the speaker says only two syllables (Reynolds), write Reynolds' with just the apostrophe.
Transcript Notes
The court reporter must listen for whether the speaker adds the extra syllable. If Reynolds is spoken as three syllables, write Reynolds's. If spoken as two syllables, write Reynolds'. The same distinction applies to Jones's vs Jones', Cross's vs Cross', Boaz's vs Boaz'.
Style Guide References (3)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP