Where should the apostrophe go to form the plural possessive for a plural noun ending in s?

Where should the apostrophe go to form the plural possessive for a plural noun ending in s?

• A. After the s
• B. Before the s
• C. After the s's
• D. Between the s and the rest

Answer: (A)

When a plural noun already ends in s, you form the possessive by placing the apostrophe after that final s. This shows that something belongs to multiple of the plural noun. For example, the dogs' collars belong to the dogs. If you put the apostrophe elsewhere, the meaning isn’t standard for plural possessives: before the s would be unreadable, and adding 's after the s would read as if you were making a singular possessive or produce an awkward form. So the apostrophe after the s is the correct way to indicate possession for a plural ending in s.

When a plural noun already ends in s, you form the possessive by placing the apostrophe after that final s. This shows that something belongs to multiple of the plural noun. For example, the dogs' collars belong to the dogs. If you put the apostrophe elsewhere, the meaning isn’t standard for plural possessives: before the s would be unreadable, and adding 's after the s would read as if you were making a singular possessive or produce an awkward form. So the apostrophe after the s is the correct way to indicate possession for a plural ending in s.