Comma Queen: Possessed

Synopsis

Mary Norris, a copy editor at the New Yorker, discusses the correct formation of possessives, particularly focusing on names that end in 's'. She highlights the common mistake of omitting the extra 's' after the apostrophe, using the example of Charles Dickens. Norris explains that for singular nouns, the possessive is formed by adding apostrophe 's', as in 'Dickens's'. She also clarifies the possessive form for plural nouns, noting that for names like Dickens, which already end in 's', the possessive can simply be formed with an apostrophe. Norris mentions exceptions for classical Greek names and the name Jesus, where only an apostrophe is used. The video emphasizes the importance of proper punctuation in writing.