If you read me often, you know that I am not actually a grammarian. I write for the ear. Ideally, you would read what I write out-loud in order to better hear what I’m saying. Alas, that’s not how it often works.
But even I have taken notice lately that people whom I consider to be experts on language and grammar have been putting an apostrophe “s” at the end of names that already end in an “s.” As an editor, I had to ask.
It was confirmed on Twitter by @HarperOne and by IVP’s Dave Zimmerman that the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition, has changed the longstanding convention.
The new Chicago standard reads:
7.17 Possessive of words and names ending in unpronounced “s”
In a return to Chicago’s earlier practice, words and names ending in an unpronounced s form the possessive in the usual way (with the addition of an apostrophe and an s). This practice not only recognizes that the additional s is often pronounced but adds to the appearance of consistency with the possessive forms of other types of proper nouns.
7.18 Possessive of names like “Euripides”
In a departure from earlier practice, Chicago no longer recommends the traditional exception for proper classical names of two or more syllables that end in an eez sound. Such names form the possessive in the usual way (though when these forms are spoken, the additional s is generally not pronounced).
Thus, if you follow Chicago, it’s now spelled Jesus’s. Notably, that it’s still pronounced, jee-zus, even in the possessive.
For your information, the Presbyterian Lay Committee doesn’t follow Chicago. So, we will continue to render the possessive of Jesus as Jesus’ and Moses as Moses’.
Now you’re wondering, “What’s in the PLC’s stylebook?” All PLC publications follow The Associated Press stylebook. But there are a few places where the PLC departs from what others might do.
Stylebook for Presbyterian Lay Committee
· Church is only capitalized when referring to the Church universal, or when part of a church name
· Gospel is only capitalized when referring to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
· Biblical, Scripture and Scriptural are capitalized.
· resurrection, heaven are not capitalized
· He and His are capitalized when referring to God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
· Reformed is capitalized when referring to the Reformed faith
· Items in a series – no comma before the conjunction.
How we represent the things of the Lord matter. Consider for yourself how careful you are with words when making reference to the One who is the Word made flesh.
Indeed, we belong to Him and not He to us. I am Jesus’.
(Of course I am now wondering if I got the period in the right place. Does it go inside the apostrophe? Maybe I should just add the extra s....)