If they're not sure about how to form the plurals and possessives of last names ending with 's', authors should avoid them.
William's is neither the plural nor possessive of Williams.
AJ
If they're not sure about how to form the plurals and possessives of last names ending with 's', authors should avoid them.
William's is neither the plural nor possessive of Williams.
AJ
William's is neither the plural nor possessive of Williams.
correct, as you have Mr Williams, the Williamses, and the Williams' car - much easier to make it the Martin family for Mr Martin, the Martins, and the Martin's car.
much easier to make it the Martin family for Mr Martin, the Martins, and the Martin's car.
"Martin's car"? Really? Reminds me of uncountable stories in which a character goes to their parent's home only to find both parents living there. ;-)
AJ
English is relatively easy, even so, though people do get it wrong fairly often (I may have been bopped on the head a few times by editors when I was writing faster than I was thinking...)
David Sedaris has some hilarious essays about his travails (and sometimes unusual mnemonic aids) in attempting to learn French, particularly gendered words but also pluralization, in Me Talk Pretty One Day. The contrast between the two is quite something. Of course, English has plenty of 'you just have to memorize it!' rules as well :)
Yer, I didn't start to learn English till Kindergarten as I spoke a total of 5 languages. each to varying degrees (I was only 4). One of my big problems was separating words from each language.
So I may of been asked a question in one language, but I would answer in the language I had the best words for. Though I understood questions and statements in English. I never spoke it back until getting in trouble with my dad who promised a tanning that I'd not sit for a month from while he turned away from the wheel to yell at me while he was driving past the hospital as we neared home, just over 2 blocks away.
I remember it to this day. And to this day I have almost exclusively spoken English. I did to varying levels learn nearly half a dozen other languages in the intervening 40 odd years. Right now working on what will be my 10th language studied. most of the others I still speak at least a dozen or so words of.
Languages, English included all have their own quirks. But English is the one that has given me the most hardship and rewards.