Jesus's or Jesus'?
- Thread starter katiemac
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What answer did you find and where? I'm curious.
I was raised with the form "Jesus'" for the possessive because it sounds funny to pronounce it "jeezuzuz." I've followed the "say it out loud" rule whenever in doubt with other possessives, despite the general rule of adding the apostrophe alone after an "s" ending a two syllable word or name.
I was raised with the form "Jesus'" for the possessive because it sounds funny to pronounce it "jeezuzuz." I've followed the "say it out loud" rule whenever in doubt with other possessives, despite the general rule of adding the apostrophe alone after an "s" ending a two syllable word or name.
This is from the Strunk and White's Elements of Style, Fourth Edition.
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write:
Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names ending in --es and --is, the possessive Jesus' and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms as Moses' Laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by:
the laws of Moses
the temple of Isis
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write:
Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names ending in --es and --is, the possessive Jesus' and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms as Moses' Laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by:
the laws of Moses
the temple of Isis
Those examples go along with the say it out loud rule. I say if you can't help but replace "Jackie Onassis's mollasses" with "Jackie Onassis' molasses" go for it. 
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