So here is the first question I pose to myself, and hope to be able to answer before I go to bed. When making a noun ending in "S", such as Chris or James, possessive do you add 's to the noun, Chris's, or simply put the apostrophe, James'? My own logic suggests that it should be Chris's but I have seen it written James' so many times that I have begun to wonder, and so begins my research.
There seems to be a difference of opinion even among the professionals. Of the sites I checked one indicated that either option is appropriate but that Chris's is the preferred choice. Another indicates that Chris's is the only correct choice. Of course just because you can create an official looking web site doesn't neccissarily mean that you know what you're talking about. This site in particular goes into great detail to explain how to determine which case is appropriate in which situation. But in the end it all seems to be a matter of personal preference.
The choice that I personally found the most helpful is actually in our own text book. "Even if a singular noun ends in s, add an apostrophe and an -s. If the second s makes the word hard to pronounce, it is acceptable to add only an apostrophe."
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