MTApostrophes

From Bill Bentsen:
Quoting my very favorite reference source, _The Gregg Reference Manual_: Capital letters and abbreviations ending with capital letters are pluralized by adding "s" alone: three Rs, CEOs, V.P.s, four Cs, IQs, M.D.s, five VIPs, PTAs, L.L.B.s, six CPUs, YWCAs, Ph.D.s. Note: Some authorities still sanction the use of an apostrophe before the "s" (for example, four C's, PTA's). However, the apostrophe is functionally unnecessary except where confusion might otherwise result: Three A's, too many I's, two U's on his report card. (This prevents confusion between A's and As; I's and Is; U's and Us.)

For the sake of clarity, uncapitalized letters and uncapitalized abbreviations are pluralized by adding an apostrophe plus "s": dotting the i's, p's and q's, four c.o.d.'s, wearing pj's. When initials are spelled out in letters, the plurals are formed normally: emcees, deejays, okays, Jaycees.

Numbers expressed in figures are pluralized by the addition of "s" alone: in the 1990s, Catch-22s, sort the W-2s, temperature in the 20s.

From Thom Foulks:
The news editor's rule-of-thumb is that the apostrophe is ONLY used to break an "s" off from the preceding group of letters if necessary to prevent that letter group from becoming a common word. In practice, your interpretation is what usually follows. I'm not so sure Bill can find a grammatical rule that will apply to such news editing...this type of usage is a shortcut that can be handy but is terribly overused.

The "hard" rule is to rephrase the sentence so as to avoid any "s" confusion. Technically, (as example) an EKG is a singular test, something that in itself cannot be plural. EKG tests, EKG results, EKG readings, etc., ad infinitum, of course, are correct. In practical usage, the apostrophe should be used only to indicate a contraction (poets get carried away with this), or a possessiveness. One of my pet peeves is computer-product writers who discuss bulletin board systems as "BBS's." I'm positive I've seen that in every major computer magazine.

From Liz:
As a self-proclaimed member of the Apostrophe Police, I am constantly frustrated by the misuse of this punctuation. Today I went to our local produce store and every item on their blackboard was listed with an apostrophe: Apple's, Pear's, Bean's, etc.
Apostrophes for Eponyms
10/24/95, from bbentsen@ix.netcom.com, Bill Bentsen
Mary wrote: "Comparing Stedman's with Tessier's Surgery Book when doing the review on Advance, I note that Stedman's uses the form of Joseph's knife and Tessier of course drops it to Joseph knife, etc. Stedman's Medical Equipment Words lists Joseph knife and Joseph clamp, but Joseph's clamp and Joseph knife are listed one after the other in their 10/16 column."

American Medical Association Manual of Style, 8th ed., ch. 13, addresses this issue from the physician's viewpoint: "At the present time, there is considerable debate over the retention or deletion of the possessive with eponyms. Although there seems to be a trend toward dropping the possessive, feelings on this point are still strongly divided, and therefore, we recommend following current usage as represented in the latest editions of Dorland's or Stedman's medical dictionaries."

They also comment on traditional rules: "Along with the usage found in the dictionaries, several traditional rules of thumb can still be kept in mind concerning the use of eponyms:
1. When two or more names are involved, the -'s is not used (e.g., Niemann-Pick disease.
2. When the eponymous term derives from a location, drop the possessive (e.g., Lyme disease).
3. Capitalize the eponym but not the noun or adjective that accompanies it (e.g., Down's syndrome).
4. If 'the,' 'a' or 'an' is used before the name, an apostrophe and s (even if given in the sources listed) should not be used (e.g., Wilms' tumor, but the Wilms tumor; Preyer's reflex but the Preyer reflex)."

10/24/95, from Catherine Baxter, csbmtia@icsi.net
With regard to the use of the apostrophe, as the editor for Stedman's Medical Equipment Words, it was my decision to not use the apostrophe in compliance with AAMT's movement away from it as well as other medical references and medical style guides. However, this is just a preference and in no way means that the use of the apostrophe is wrong. It has been often misused in such cases where the eponym ends in an "s" like in Thoms forceps which can be found as Thom's incorrectly. I kind of go by the rule that if you can't say it properly outloud without an "s" then by all means add the "s." Hope this helps.

Posted by Bill Bentsen on July 14, 1998 at 17:27:07:

In Reply to: What is the proper/preferred way... posted by Curious on July 14, 1998 at 16:45:02:

TM's or TMs are clear.
The patient is making A's, B's, and C's or As, Bs, and Cs.
...may eventually need PFT's as well or PFTs as well.

You're asking what the correct or standard method of making plurals of capital letters and/or abbreviations.

The _Gregg Reference Manual_ explains as follows:

three Rs
HMOs
BBSs
V.P.s
four Cs
POs
IQs
M.D.s
five VIPs
S&Ls
PTAs Ph.D.s

Some sanction the use of an apostrophe before the s:

three A's, too many I's, two U's

when confusion might result without the apostrophe:

A's being confused with As; I's being confused with Is; U's being confused with Us.

Uncapitalized letters and uncapitalized abbreviation are made plural by adding apostrophe plus s.

dotting the i's; p's and q's; foud c.o.d.'s; wearing pj's.

Hope this helps.

Bill Bentsen

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