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?

[andres]

^^^Atheist---yes it was a typo. Why on earth didn't they call him Bill?

[dannyk13]

// Why on earth didn't they call him Bill?//
Or Jimmy, even.

[royfromaus]

Why on earth didn't they call him Bill?
or George?
Or Sue?

Any damn thing but James.

[bhg481]

Johnny Cash fan, roy?

[royfromaus]

Don't mind a bit of the man in black, bhg.

[Canary42]

Who'd have thought a simple question could generate so many answers. The wonders and entertainment of Answerbank - long may it thrive.

[ruggief]

Oh my goodness I have opened a can of worms. I have loved reading through all the responses (knew Answerbank wouldn't let me down). In the absence of a definitive we are omitting James and going with the earlier suggestion of Man Cave. Also why James? My room in the hospital overlooked St. James's Park whilst 'Licence to Kill was playing on hospital television and my Consultant looked exactly like a young James Earl Jones. Hence 'James'

[bhg481]

Overlooked which park, ruggie?

[alavahalf]

Just as well Fanny Craddock wasn't starring!

[chrissa1]

Actually ruggief, it’s St James’ Park.

[bhg481]

visitlondon.com and Google Earth think it's St James's Park.

[bhg481]

as do royalparks.org.uk and they should know.

[Jackdaw33]

But Newcastle United's stadium is St. James' Park.

[bednobs]

i suppose it depends which one you are talking about!

[chrissa1]

Absolutely, jackdaw. The visitlondon one is wrong. iMHO

[Jackdaw33]

It's not wrong, in London you have St. James's Park and St. James's Palace. It's just that there are two ways of writing it and one is as good as the other.

[Chinajan]

But the stadium's Metro Station is St James. Go figure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James_Metro_station

[New Judge]

But the London Underground station is St James's Park. Until we know which one is under discussion I suppose we'll all have to figure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James%27s_Park_tube_station

[Cloverjo]

I remember a chapter on this subject in Lynne Truss’s (or should that be Truss’?) book Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

My friend has a son called Gus and she updates on FB with things about Gus’ party or Gus’ school, which looks and sounds weird to me. I’d put Gus’s, and so also James’s Games Room.

[elliemay1]

Both are correct but I think that ' James’s Games Room' looks clumsy. I much prefer ' James’ Games Room'.