The Jesus clause
Published by Becky S March 15th, 2004 in style & grammarA kind reader makes an interesting point about singular proper possessives–there’s an exception for ancient names! Sure enough, Strunk and White confirm:
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in -es and -is, the possessive Jesus’, and such forms as for conscience’ sake, for righteousness’ sake. But such forms as Achilles’ heel, Moses’ laws, Isis’ temple are commonly replaced bythe heel of Achilles the laws of Moses the temple of Isis
But why?
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‘Cause they’re godlike. And neither Strunk nor White were. And when one writes the rules, one cannot refrain from making law out of personal preferences. Just ask Tom DeLay.