Sometimes punctuation is a matter of context. Attributive vs. possessive nouns are a case in point. Is the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day, Mothers’ Day, or Mothers Day?
First, a quick review of the distinction in each of those examples:
- Mother’s Day – singular possessive
- Mothers’ Day – plural possessive
- Mothers Day – plural noun, attributive
Attributive nouns are nouns that are used as adjectives. In the third example, Mother, normally a noun, is used as an adjective. That makes it an attributive noun, which does not take an apostrophe. Continue Reading…
