Grammar Help Needed.

[ruggief]

Ordering a sign for my son James. Its going to say Games Room. Lots of arguing about the apostrophe. Should it be James' Games Room or James's Games Room?

[New Judge]

//I guess with the prevalence of the "grocer's apostrophe"..///

Just the one grocer, then?? :-)

Actually I think it is greengrocers who are more prone to the gaff, e.g. "Git your sprout's, banana's and cauli's here."

[brainiac]

..and not forgetting asparagu's

[andres]

James's Game Room. The apostrophe denotes ownership.

[Old_Geezer]

I used to use "James's" but was informed, as an adult way after I left school, that since the word ended in an s it was only the apostrophe that should be added; so since then I'd use "James'". I've no intention of changing again.

[bednobs]

I don't think you shouldn't contribute - everyone is welcome to contribute at any time to any post of course. It's just amusing that you feel you can speak from a position of authority. especially with your "disability". it's like me advising people about training shoes or treadmills from my wheelchair :)

[THECORBYLOON]

I've seen "Northant's" on the side of a van.

[jno]

either is okay. You could just say" James - Games".

[Etch]

NJ - damn, I was going with what it was called on the website at the earlier link, but in my haste to post left off the "green". Not saying that I consider them authoritative but they have "greengrocer's" - seems ok to me, as only referring to the greengrocer who has written the sign

[Peter Pedant]

jamziz
as in Court of St James's
that wd be the Court of St James's Palace

room of Games - - - Games' Room

[pixie374]

That's what I said pp.... but leave them to it :-)

[bobbinwales]

And what Bobb said.

Happy to chat to PP on this
Regarding //room of Games - - - Games' Room?/

Am not sure, if its ok to talk about a Man United shirt or a Liverpool player or an Everton kit surely we don't need an apostrophe for Leeds kit or Wales player.

[Atheist]

I really think Games' room (or variants) is not really right here. It would imply that the room belonged to the games.

[royfromaus]

andres
James's Game Room. The apostrophe denotes ownership.
___________

That makes it sound like if you go in the room you have got be up for anything.

Or it is where he plucks his partridge and pheasants.

[dannyk13]

Games room - a room where games are played.No apostrophe required.

[Mamyalynne]

I agree with Roy.

[Atheist]

Mamy, don't you think that Andres' 'game' was a typo?
I hope this doesn't set off another wave!

[Mamyalynne]

I hadn't seen that Roy had posted again.

Roy

//If he is over the age of 12 I wouldn't get him a sign with his name on it.//

^

I agree with that.

[Netty7]

James’s Games Room - Apostrophe s after James means the Games Room belongs to James, if you just use an apostrophe it denotes that it belongs to several people called James. No apostrophe anywhere on Games as Games Room as a whole is a noun, but singular. Having said that I always think that James’s does sound very unnatural, so I would think of another way to word the sign, maybe Games Room for James or Games Room on top line and James underneath?

[Prudie]

Too many answers since I last looked in but it's worth mentioning of course James is not plural but games is.

[bhg481]

I've always believed it was initiated by what we used to call "Time and Motion Men"; dropping the second "S" ie, James' instead of James's saves time, in the same way that 1 space after a full stop instead of 2 and no stops in abbreviations such as B.B.C becoming BBC saves time.