Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips

Tip # 199: Apostrophe Usage:

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Tip # 199: Apostrophe Usage: Since I received so many inquiries about the apostrophe "s" sentence using boss's or boss', I would like to revisit this usage.

I am quoting from The Gregg Reference Manual: 

"To form the possessive of a singular noun that ends in an "s" sound, be guided by the way you pronounce the word. If the new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, add an apostrophe plus "s" such as "boss's approval.

If the addition of an extra syllable would make a word ending in an "s" hard to pronounce, add the apostrophe only."

See these examples:

for goodness' sake
Mr. Hastings' proposal.

Please answer Jared's question:

Which sentence is better and why?

1. X Corp. will demand that Company A discontinues its old accounting practices.
2. X Corp. will demand that Company A discontinue its old accounting practices.

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