Possessing company names.

As everyone will undoubtedly agree, “apostrophe s” issues are vexing—yet fun!  So let’s tackle yet another issue that has vexed us all: how to form the possessive form of possessive company names.  (This is the last post on “apostrophe s” usage, I promise!)

Some business names appear in possessive form, such as “McDonald’s” and “Wendy’s.”  So … how do we make a possessive of such nouns that already appear in possessive form?  Technical writing rules would suggest adding yet another “apostrophe s” to the word, e.g., “You should try McDonald’s’s new liver and onions milkshake!”

Yikes!  Although defensible according to standard rules, such a bizarre spelling would probably shock and repulse your reader even more than the notion of milkshake tasting of liver and onions.  Fortunately, there are better alternatives.

One solution is to avoid the problem by rephrasing, e.g., “You should try the new liver and onions milkshake at McDonald’s!”  And it is also perfectly acceptable to allow the company’s name to function as a kind of possessive, e.g., “McDonald’s liver and onions milkshake is my favorite!”  Either alternative is more pleasing (and tastier) to your reader than a McDonald’s’s liver and onions milkshake!

That is all for now …