Where does the commas go in a possessive?

Answer 1

Here is an example of a possessive noun: "That is Danny'sbook."

This sentence is expressing that the book belongs to Danny. "Danny" is made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an "s" after "Danny."

(I think you thought the apostrophe was called a "comma." A comma is used to separate phrases, as I just did now. Some people refer to apostrophes as "flying commas" because they look like commas that are flying in the air. However, it is important to remember that commas and apostrophes serve very different grammatical purposes.)

As I showed above, to make a singular noun possessive, add an apostrophe and "s." If you wish to make a plural noun that already ends in "s" possessive, add an apostrophe and omit the "s." For example: "Do not steal the cats' food, for they are very hungry." This avoids the awkward construction "cats's."

Be careful no to apply this rule to plural nouns that do NOT end in "s." For example: "The children's toys are very colorful."

There is some debate when it comes to making a name ending in "s" possessive. For instance, some people prefer to write, "Don't go near the Jones's house!" Personally, I like to write, "Don't go near the Jones' house!" I think the former style has evolved from the fact that we often pronounce the sentence that way, even if it was not originally written as such. As far as I can tell, at the moment both styles are grammatically acceptable, so just pick whichever one suits you best.

Answer 2

In a possessive construct, the apostrophe is used to show possession. For singular nouns, the apostrophe typically goes before the "s" (e.g. John's book). For plural nouns ending in "s," the apostrophe usually goes after the "s" (e.g. the students' desks).