Distinctive Treatment of Words

Jackie Winton

Jun 24, 2019

Words and hyphenated phrases that are not nouns but are used as nouns usually form the plural by adding s or es.

The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. The possessive of plural nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe only.

The general rule extends to proper nouns, including names ending in s, x, or z, in both their singular and plural forms, as well as letters and numbers.

Ex: Dickens’s novels, the Lincolns’ marriage, FDR’s legacy, the Williamses’ new house

When the singular form of a noun ending in s is the same as the plural, the possessives of both are formed by the addition of an apostrophe only. The same rule applies when the name of a place, organization, or a publication (or the last element in the name) is a plural form ending in s, even though the entity is singular.

This can change depending on client preference, so check with your Designer before making a change (ex. Capital Blue Cross’).
Ex: politics’ true meaning, the United States’ role in international law, the National Academy of Sciences’ new policy
Their and his/her
Their will be used instead of his/her; he/she; his/hers; etc., OR use he/him/his. Alternate between male and female, if desired.
If a sentence can be restructured to not include form of his/her, edit it to make it so.
Ex: “Consider where the customer is in his/her buying process” changed to “Consider where the customer is in the buying process.”