Grammar question

MrsPatterson

I am ashamed to even be asking this since I have a degree in Journalism and should know it already.  I am trying to figure the wording for L's birthday invites, and I want to say that it's his first birthday.  Would it be "Lucas' 1st bday" or "Lucas's 1st bday"? 

Babs022

lucas'

ezbakejess

My uncle happens to be visiting this weekend. He is an editor for the New York Times. I just asked him - he said Lucas's.

Babs022

ezbakejess:

My uncle happens to be visiting this weekend. He is an editor for the New York Times. I just asked him - he said Lucas's.

hmm...i'm 99% sure its lucas'... 

roundtheworldgirl

I agree that it's Lucas'.  Since we're throwing out qualifications, I used to be an editor for The Associated Press, and that was their usage.  (I should note that the New York Times has its own style book and does not use The AP's style book, which is commonly used by many smaller papers).

roundtheworldgirl

roundtheworldgirl:

I agree that it's Lucas'.  Since we're throwing out qualifications, I used to be an editor for The Associated Press, and that was their usage.  (I should note that the New York Times has its own style book and does not use The AP's style book, which is commonly used by many smaller papers).

Was curious so I did some more research and found that the Modern Language Association Handbook dictates that one-syllable proper names ending in "s" should have an apostrophe and another "s" added (as in "Keats's poems.")  The handbook says multi-syllable names ending in "s" should take only an apostrophe for the possessive: Lucas' party.

But, the Chicago Manual of Style states that while both "Dickens'" and "Dickens's" are correct, the CMS prefers the latter.

I'm taking that to mean it's a matter of preference.

But I still think "Lucas' party" is correct.