Possessives versus Adjectival Labels :


Don't confuse an adjectival label (sometimes called an attributive noun) ending in s with the need for a possessive.

Sometimes it's not easy to tell which is which. Do you attend a writers' conference or a writers conference? If it's a group of writers attending a conference, you want the plural ending, writers.

If the conference actually belongs to the writers, then you'd want the possessive form, writers'. If you can insert another modifer between the -s word and whatever it modifies, you're probably dealing with a possessive.

Additional modifiers will also help determine which form to use.

Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw three touchdown passes. (plural as modifier)

The Patriots' [new] quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, threw three touchdown passes. (possessive as modifier]

Related Links :

Possessives with Gerunds

Possessives versus Adjectival Labels

Possessives of Plurals

Irregular Plurals

Holidays Showing Possession

Compound Possessives

Possessives Constructions

Compound Constructions

Possessives with Appositive Forms

Double Possessives