semantic nuance 118 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Hi, A friend asked me about the pronunciations of apostrophe 's'. I'm not a native speaker of English, and would like to ask you for help. How is each 's' in blue pronounced? a. Grace’s gift b. Josh’s pet c. Jess’s mom Should I say 'Jess's mom' pronounced as 'Jess mom' or 'Jess s mom'? Thanks in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiana 84 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 I'd say as if they are Graces, Joshes and Jesses (pronounce the last "s" in them as /z/). But you may like to wait for second opinion 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
li3wei1 440 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 I would pronounce all of them as 'iz'. Sorry I don't know IPA. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semantic nuance 118 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 Thanks, Tiana, and li3wei1. Any rules about this kind of pronunciation? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiana 84 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 I don't know if there are rules about these, but let me try to (re-)invent one: If you already know how to pronounce the plural form of words with such endings (i.e., Graces, Joshes and Jesses), then do the same when they're in the possessive form. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
li3wei1 440 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 If your neighbors on either side are both called Jones, and one night they both throw loud parties, and you want to say that the Joneses's parties kept you up all night, how do you pronounce that? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiana 84 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 For "Joneses's parties", I would write "Joneses' parties" and pronounce it like a plural. Anyone does it differently? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semantic nuance 118 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 A related question: When do people use ' instead of 's? For example, Charles' car? Is there any rule? How to distinguish 's from '? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
889 1,750 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 If the s is there to make the word plural, then the possessive is s' not s's. E.g., "My parents' house." For extra credit, there's also the rule against three sibillants. So it's "Jesus' followers" and "the boss' serfs," even though three sibillants are actually pronounced. Note that this rule is not always followed. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiana 84 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 Note that this rule is not always followed That's true. Although non-native speakers will try their best to learn the rules, native speakers do have the prerogative to have variations. The same in all languages Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semantic nuance 118 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 Thanks for all of your help!! Much appreciated! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
