First, there is a distinction between
Lois's and
the boys': while they are both genitive, or possessive, cases (ie
belonging to Lois, the boys), one is a singular (proper) noun and the other is a plural noun. There are, from what I vaguely remember, different customs concerning the genitive case of
names ending in 's'. But whether I can find a source is another matter...
Now, bear in mind that I'm jet-lagged and thus not inclined to go into lengthy searches...
I can't find anything in my Oxford grammar guide. Fowler, on the other hand, has this to say:
It was formerly customary, when a word ended in -s, to write its possessive with an apostrophe but no additional s, eg Mars' hill, Venus' Bath, Achilles' thews. In verse, and in poetic or reverential contexts, this custom is retained and the number of syllables is the same as in the subjective case, eg Achilles' has three, not four [syllables]; Jesus' or of Jesus, not Jesus's. But elsewhere we now add the -s and the syllable: Charles's Wain, St James's not St James'...[snip]
As for more modern - and American - usage, see here:
Professor Charles Darling\'s grammar website . This site suggests what I have seen recommended elsewhere: Lois's for a first name, but Richards' for a surname.
Another good rule of thumb I have seen is: ask yourself how you would pronounce it. Would you
say 'Lois's car'? Or 'Lois' car'? I think most people would say the former, though I'm willing to be disagreed with.
Although I'm pretty convinced that Lois's is correct, when GEing I don't try to persuade the author to change from Lois' as long as he/she is consistent in usage - which is all that matters, really!
Wendy (who says 'quarter past five')
