googling around I thought this made sense: boys' ball (a ball owned by two or more boys) v. boy's ball (a ball owned by one boy)
And Beuys's ball (a ball owned by Joseph Beuys)
― jaymc, Friday, 16 December 2011 16:43 (twelve years ago) link
Boise's ball (a ball owned by the city of Boise)
― nice catch cuauhtemoc blanco niƱo (dayo), Friday, 16 December 2011 16:44 (twelve years ago) link
While I am well aware of the approved standard I was taught as a lad, this is definitely a standard I think ought to be rescinded. Every way of handling a possessive "s" following a terminal "s" will be ugly, but at least "Charles's" has the twin virtues of being easier to notice and easier to remember, because it isn't a deviation from the general rule.
― Aimless, Friday, 16 December 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link