PH Grammar police - can you check this for me?

[Goochie]

In the phrase "Dave's got it covered" should the apostrophe be there or or after the S ??

Has anyone got a simple way to remember where it should go and when?

[captainzep]

How many 'Daves'?

[Puggit]

You are removing the ha from has - therefore the apostrophe is in the correct place.

Only goes after an s if it's a plural possessive apostrophe.


Edited cos I got is/has mixed up

Edited by Puggit on Tuesday 30th June 14:57

[james_gt3rs]

The sentence means "Dave has got it covered", so you are correct.

[maxrider]

Dave has got it covered = Dave's got it covered.
The apostrophe replaces the missing 'ha'

[Goochie]

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

[james_tigerwoods]

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

"James' got it covered"

Waits to be flamed/corrected

[HRG.]

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

The Daves' have got it covered.

[captainzep]

Correct.

Or the cyrillic pluperfectionate "The Geeses' honk"

I think we all deserve a round of applause's!

[lunarscope]

Not apostrophe required as the sentence should read: "Dave has it covered". There is no need for the chav word: "got".

[carmadgaz]

captainzep said:

Correct.

Or the cyrillic pluperfectionate "The Geeses' honk"

I think we all deserve a round of applause's!

[james_tigerwoods]

Surely, in that case, the correct phrase should be "What would Dave do?" - Dave knows what he's doing so all's well in the world

[monthefish]

james_tigerwoods said:

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

"James' got it covered"

Waits to be flamed/corrected

I think if it was "the house belonging to James" it would be

"James' house"

[Eric Mc]

Why not just say "Dave is dealing with it".

I have it on authority that the last ever lesson given in an English school on the proper use of the apostrophe was on 13 March 1978.

What a mess we've allowed to occur in this country regarding the teaching of English to our own children.
We should be ashamed of ourselves.

[Nightmare]

Whose house?
Runs' house!

[Alex]

monthefish said:

james_tigerwoods said:

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

"James' got it covered"

Waits to be flamed/corrected

I think if it was "the house belonging to James" it would be

"James' house"

Incorrect. That would be "James's house."

Should the full-stop in the above sentence be inside or outside the quotes?

[V8mate]

Alex said:

monthefish said:

james_tigerwoods said:

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

"James' got it covered"

Waits to be flamed/corrected

I think if it was "the house belonging to James" it would be

"James' house"

Incorrect. That would be "James's house."

Should the full-stop in the above sentence be inside or outside the quotes?

The extra 's' following a noun ending in an 's' showing possession isn't obligatory.

So 'James' house' is perfectly acceptable.

[Goochie]

Eric Mc said:

Why not just say "Dave is dealing with it".

I have it on authority that the last ever lesson given in an English school on the proper use of the apostrophe was on 13 March 1978.

What a mess we've allowed to occur in this country regarding the teaching of English to our own children.
We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Indeed we should. However, I was only born in 1980 so that explains my need to ask.

It is not a sentence that I'm going to use, it is a phrase on some marketing bumph that we have in the office and there was some debate on the correct grammar. "Dave" is actually a substitute for the word that has been used but both of them are names that do not end in S so it should make no difference.

[james_tigerwoods]

Let's not get started on the correct usage of its and it's

[Famous Graham]

james_tigerwoods said:

Goochie said:

So when would you put an apostrophe after the S ?

"James' got it covered"

Waits to be flamed/corrected

You wouldn't say that at all - you wouldn't contract the "has" if the noun ends in an S. Try saying it out loud and you'll see what I mean.