Why is this? The traditional custom has been to drop the final “s” when writing the possessives of ancient classical or biblical names that already end in “s.” The result is that your prayer could correctly be written with either “Jesus’ precious name” or “Jesus’s precious name.” This is because there are two ways to form the possessive of an ancient classical or biblical name that ends in “s.”
The rule here is the same as it would be for any name-the apostrophe plus “s” at the end can signify either a contraction or a possessive.įor example, “James’s” can be a contraction of “James is” or “James has” (as in “James’s coming” or “James’s grown a beard”), or it can be the possessive form of the name (as in “She is James’s niece”).īut when the name is “Jesus,” there’s a twist with the possessive form. There’s no way a member of your sister’s prayer group would think otherwise.
But isn’t that also how to make a contraction?Ī: The form written with an apostrophe plus “s” (that is, “Jesus’s”) can represent either a contraction (short for “Jesus is” or “Jesus has”) or the possessive form of the name.īut in the expression you’re writing, it would clearly be the possessive.
They might utter it in a tired tone or say the phrase rapidly.Q: I’m preparing handouts for my sister’s prayer group, but I’m unsure of whether to write “In Jesus’ Precious Name” or “In Jesus’s Precious Name.” I know you’re supposed to add an apostrophe plus “s” to make a name possessive. Et cetera often appears when someone finds a list tedious or obvious. Native speakers also extend the meaning of certain foreign phrases beyond their definition in the original language. If you are aware of it, you can avoid making the same mistake and also recognize the phrase even when you hear it mispronounced. This kind of mispronunciation is called assimilation. The et of et cetera has a final T sound, but some Americans substitute a K sound. Or they might have trouble with the foreign pronunciation. When a foreign phrase becomes part of another language, speakers of that language don’t always know exactly how to pronounce it. Who are respondents (registered voters, likely voters, state residents, etc.)? “I love you to pieces, distraction, etc.” Not so much grooming, feeding, et cetera.” You should never use “and et cetera.” Remember, et means “and.” “And et cetera” is redundant. is appropriate is to substitute “and so on” or “and so forth.” If those synonyms make sense, you can use etc. Unless you previously state the connection between the items and the rest of the list is easily imaginable, you can’t use etc. The children should bring crayons, blankets, birth certificates, etc. He could not use et cetera to indicate this after saying she should sit when he sits because those actions don’t logically belong to the same class as the others.
Imagine that King Mongkut also wanted his governess to eat when he eats and clap when he claps. It can be used only when unmentioned items are of the same type as the items mentioned earlier. If you are writing a research paper or any other formal work, be careful of how you use et cetera. Et cetera allows him to get the point across and move on. She will have to sit when he sits, kneel when he kneels, “et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.” If he had not used the phrase, he might have felt the need to continue with more actions of the same class-when he lies or bends down, for example.
He explains that her head should never be higher than his. In one scene from The King and I, King Mongkut tells his governess the rules of conduct that she will have to follow in his presence. Have you seen the musical The King and I ? If so, you might remember King Mongkut’s catchphrase, “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.” Why did this Siamese king find the phrase so useful? You might love it as much as he did once you find out exactly how to use it. Write with Grammarly How to use et cetera correctly