Pretty simple question, you'd think...

[SandStorm]

So let me start this out by saying I'm not an idiot and yes, despite the nature of this thread, I do have a pretty good understanding of GRAMMAR*.

With that said, I'd like to ask the following question:

Which would be proper "Marcus'" or "Marcus's?"

I've always thought I would be using Marcus' when a name ends in "s" but when I looked it up today I found conflicting sources stating I should say "Marcus's." They also stated I should only use " ' " (with no S) on names ending in a /iz sound. Is that true?

Kind of an amatuer question, I know, but hopefully one of you whiz kids can give me a quick answer.

Thank-ya' folks

[Breaker]

Assuming you're looking to indicate possession, the first is correct. I've never seen an example of an english word ending in s's. If your intention is to indicate more than one Marcus, they are Marcuses. Marcussi? Marcusses? Oh dear.

[SandStorm]

Singular possessive, yes. Thank you.

[Amen]

Actually, both are correct. Or at least acceptable. I've been yelled at to write "Marcus's" and I've been yelled at to do it "Marcus'." It depends on who you're writing for (journalism, for example, has different preferences than expository writing). Come to think of it, I think it's in journalism where you're supposed to write "Marcus's."

Personally, I prefer just throwing the apostrophe at the end. Two S's make it seem too much like I'm trying to get you to vocalize "Marcuses" which seems wrong to me.

[orphans]

I.... you know, I've never really thought about this deeply until now. I have absolutely no idea. I was always taught singular possessive was " word's " and plural possessive was " words' " ? though that doesn't seem right either now.

[SandStorm]

Amen- That is exactly why I get confused. While I was in the army I was a photo journalist and I would often get reprimanded by my instructors to throw in that extra "s." It went against what I had been taught and ever since I've been left wondering, haha.

[Amen]

Lord knows the English language is messed up. Honestly it's probably one of those things that differs from instructor to instructor and reader to reader.

In journalism I would think the extra s would be valuable. The whole point of journalistic writing is to convey information so it can be consumed as quickly and clearly as possible. The apostrophe on its own might be overlooked and confuse the meaning of what follows...in a book that's not a big deal, but journalists are supposed to assume nobody is going to go back and reread something if it confuses them.

Orphans - that's right, actually, I think it just rarely comes up for whatever reason. But if you're like...talking about the hands of multiple artists, you would say the artists' hands.

I just came up with a fun one: a plural possessive involving mice. The mices' tails?

[Elrundir]

Well, in that case it will be mice's, since mice is plural and has no need of the extra s.

Personally I always just go with s', though I've seen it done both ways. I just think s's looks redundant. I don't think either of them is definitively correct or incorrect, though.

[Hysteria]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe#Singular_nouns_ending_with_an_.E2.80.9C s.E2.80.9D_or_.E2.80.9Cz.E2.80.9D_sound

According to Wiki, nobody knows (although they take longer to say it). I'd write what you say, and I say Marcus's. Although most of the references in that Wiki are English, so it was probably written by someone speaking English UK, not sure if that matters or not :/

[Saxon]

Grammar*

[Scrotus]

Thanks Saxaroonie for the spellcheck :)

[SirArtemis]

I use Artemis' in my writing. I like it that way. I think s's looks silly.

[orphans]

Sonically, I feel that if I didn't say the "s's" it sounds a bit weird.

Such as "Artemis' Boots," as opposed to "Artemis's Boots." Then again, that looks awkward too.

Maybe, "Boots of Artemis," but that would get old fast, no?

[Vigil]

Botas de Artemis.

[Knave]

If by sonically you mean in terms of being grammaticality correct within the confines of quotation marks and speech, its speech; its one the things that people hardly do correctly IRL. I would love to see more verbal grammar nazis, those are really rare.

[Elrundir]

Sonically, I feel that if I didn't say the "s's" it sounds a bit weird.

Such as "Artemis' Boots," as opposed to "Artemis's Boots." Then again, that looks awkward too.

Maybe, "Boots of Artemis," but that would get old fast, no?
Well, there's no particular reason that "Artemis' Boots" can't be pronounced with the "s's" enunciated. In fact, it often is.