My name is Francis. How do I write my name as a possessive noun?

2 Answers
May 29, 2016

Francis's.

Explanation:

If it's singular, Francis's. If it's plural and your last name, Francises'.

Francis'

Explanation:

Normally, an apostrophe and then an "s" is used to show ownership. For example, my name as a possessive noun is Parzival's.

When the noun ends in s, we put the apostrophe behind the s but don't add another one. So for Francis it's Francis' and not Francis's.

(Edit - I just found a big conversation on the subject. Apparently my answer is "old school" and the newer convention is to write Francis's. Whether you go old school or new school, this is apparently a matter of style and not necessarily grammar. Stay consistent and if you are writing for someone (whether it be for a class or an editor), just be sure to match your style to their expectations. Here is the conversation: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-242529.html)