e apostrophe and the other
_s_ as _James's hat_. DeVinne advises following the pronunciation. Where
the second _s_ is not pronounced, as often happens to avoid the
prolonged hissing sound of another _s_, he recommends omitting it in
print.

Moses' hat, for Moses's hat.

For conscience' sake.

Plural nouns ending in _s_ add the apostrophe only; ending in other
letters they add the apostrophe and _s_ like singular nouns, _the Jones'
house_, _the children's toys_.

The possessive pronouns never take the apostrophe. We say _hers_,
_theirs_, _its_. _It's_ is an abbreviation for _it is_.

Care should be taken in forming the possessives of phrases containing
nouns in apposition, or similar compound phrases. We should say "I
called at Brown the printer's" or "since William the Conqueror's time."

_Adjectives_

An adjective is a word used to qualify, limit, or define a noun, or a
word or phrase which has the value of a noun. Nouns are ordinarily very
general and indefinite in meaning, for example, _man_ conveys only a
very general idea. To make that idea definite we need the help of one or
more descriptive words such as _black_, _tall_, _stout_, _good_.

I saw a man.

gives no definite idea of the person seen.

I saw a tall, thin, dark, old man.

presents a very definite picture. It will be noted that these
descriptive words have a way of forming combinations among themselves.
It must be remembered, however, that all the words thus used describe
the noun. Adjectives are sometimes used as substitutes for nouns. This
is one of the many verbal short cuts in which the English language
abounds.

The good die young

means good people die young.

We should seek the good and beautiful

means we should seek good or beautiful things, or persons, or qualities,
or perhaps everything good and beautiful.

When adjectives indicate a quality they have three forms called degrees
indicating the extent or amount of the quality possessed by the noun
especially as compared with other objects of the same sort, _a big man_,
_a bigger man_, _the biggest man_. These degrees are called positive,
indicating possession of bigness; comparative, indicating possession of
more bigness than some other man; superlative, indicating possession of
more bigness than any other man. When we wish to tell the amount of the
quality without comparing the possessor with any other object or group
of objects we use