As promised, we’re back this week with more on the possessive. Today I thought I’d ease into the week with the way the possessive is used in certain expressions. The Chicago Manual of Style provides an entire section on “for . . . sake” expressions and provides clarification about whether to use the “s apostrophe” or “apostrophe s.”
First, these “for . . . sake” expressions contain a singular noun that ends in an s, and just gets an apostrophe at the end:
· for goodness’ sake
· for righteousness’ sake
And this second group is formed normally with the “apostrophe s”:
· for expedience’s sake
· for appearance’s sake (or for appearances’ sake [plural possessive] or for the sake of appearance)
· for Jesus’s sake
Similarly, there are expressions based on the “old genitive case.” Honestly, that sounds like it belongs in dentistry, but according to CMOS, the genitive in these phrases implies the word “of.”
· in three days’ time
· an hour’s delay (or a one-hour delay)
· six months’ leave of absence (or a six-month leave of absence)
Kara Church
Technical Editor, Advisory
619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773
Symitar Documentation Services
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