Meryl's Notes Blog

Vicky Kirby of Austin College writes, “I just read your review of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, which I quite enjoyed. I can be quite a grammar and punctuation stickler myself. However, I have a question for you. In the book, there is much ado about the need for an apostrophe in Two Weeks’ Notice. I disagree.

“There is no possession implied and it would be correct to have a title of One Week Notice with no punctuation. This has gone around in my head since I read that portion of the book. Am I missing something? I believe the movie title Two Weeks Notice is correct with no additional punctuation.”

Vicky is right in that this is a tough one to figure out. Even I have a hard time trying to understand it like a logical math problem. For many grammar rules, I’m able to translate it from a foreign language into English… but not this one. One week’s vacation, two week’s pay, and three days’ work are correct and sound wonderful after working 12-hour days for the past four days.

The AP Stylebook says these are quasi possessives, but it would be better to use a hyphenated for: a one-week vacation, two-week pay, and three-day work.

To make it more difficult, we don’t use an apostrophe in descriptive phrases when a word is used in a descriptive sense: citizens band radio, a Texas Rangers pitcher, a writers guide. ?!?!

The stylebook provides a memory aid. It says:

The apostrophe is not used if for or by rather than of would be appropriate in the longer form: a radio band for citizens, a pticher for Texas Rangers, a guide for writers.

That’s not all…

An ’s is required when a term involves a plural word that doesn’t end in s: a children’s hospital, a women’s organization.

This is too much thinking after four long shifts.

Tidewater Community College has a decent explanation:

Use the possesive form for the owner or possessor, not for the thing possessed. Note that a possessive noun functions as an adjective.

Grammar Goddess says:

It is idiomatic to use the possessive form with periods of time and statements of worth-three weeks’ notice, three dollars’ worth.

The final word, Lynne Truss is right. The movie title should be Two Weeks’ Notice or Two-Week Notice.