For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By nallen
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1572750
As far as I remember ODWE - the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors - has Achilles' heel and Achilles tendon, the latter usage being in accord with PS's thinking. (But I don't have my copy to hand.)

Convention, at least as far as Hart's Rules (the old Oxford University Press authority on such matters) is concerned, is that all names from antiquity that end in s use s' for possessive, never s's -- hence Socrates', Xerxes', Pythagoras', Menelaus', Darius', Jesus', etc.
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By Bert Presley
#1572764
PeteSpencer wrote:You could argue that an Achilles heel uses Achilles as an adjective, not possessive and not requiring any apostrophes just as the Spirit of Ecstasy is a Rolls Trademark/Mascot.


A good point.

If there are two families named 'Jones' then they are the Joneses. If each family has a car, then those cars are the Joneses' cars.

I don't think I would say: 'the Jones-ez-ez cars'.

But then, having just practised saying it out loud, perhaps I might.

Dunno :D
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By Bert Presley
#1572773
nallen wrote:Convention, at least as far as Hart's Rules (the old Oxford University Press authority on such matters) is concerned, is that all names from antiquity that end in s use s' for possessive, never s's -- hence Socrates', Xerxes', Pythagoras', Menelaus', Darius', Jesus', etc.


Interesting. Thank you. Presumably, you'd still pronounce the possessive form as 'Jesus-iz' though?
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By Bert Presley
#1572777
Paul_Sengupta wrote:What about the two families named Davies?
Williams?
Jenkins?

Something particularly Welsh about a surname ending in S?


I just tried saying them out loud. 'the Williamses' sounds reasonable, if a bit weird - as does 'the Jenkinses'. But wouldn't be normal speech, I think.

But 'the Davieses' sounds bizarre.

What do Welsh people do (when speaking English)?
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By rats404
#1573471
I have just caught up with this thread. I scored 7/10 too. I am too scared to write anything else, in case I am pulled up for an error (note the avoidance of apostrophes). :-)
By Nick
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1573864
If we wish to use radio in the Central belt (Glasgow/Edinburgh) do we have to have level 6 Jock. :wink: :twisted:
Nick