Point of Order: "The Marauders"

[nobodysrib]

No: HPFGUIDX 53449

I'm in utter (and pleased) disbelief that this thread keeps going on 
and on...

Mr. Ed. asked:
> If the HP character Seamus is ever the victim of the Avada 
> Kedavra curse and his friends stood watch over his body, how would 
> you punctuate what that watch would be called?    ;)

I responded:
 
> There are two possibilities:  The friends are either standing 
> watch over "Seamus' body" or "Seamus's body."  <snip> According to 
> _The Chicago Manual of Style_ (this is a bible of sorts for 
> apostrophists and other grammarians...) *either* is acceptable, and 
> the latter is preferred.
(For full text explanation and citation of _The Chicago Manual of 
Style, see post #53409.)

Ing wrote: 

> Forget punctuation issues.  It would of course be:
> Finnigan's Wake

(Me:  I love you, Ing!  Fabulous!)

> bboy_mn wrote:
> So, if Seamus's family were also at the wake, would it be called the
> 'Finnigans's Wake' 

Me: 

In this case, it is the 'Finnigans' wake.' [note: apostrophe for a 
singular that ends in s can be "singularthatendsins's" while an 
apostrophe for a plural that ends in s is 
always "pluralthatendsins'."]  

bboy_mn:
> or could it be called the 'Finnigan Wake', and in that case, 
> would 'Finnigan' be considered singular as the word implies or 
> would it be plural since it refers to more than one member of the
> Finnigan family? 

Me: 

In the case of "The Finnegan Wake" referring to the entire clan, the 
word would be considered singular (one family, one clan.)  Enother 
example:  the Hogwarts staff.  Staff is singular although it refers 
to more than one person.  So it would be "The Staff's Wake." 
<stifling a tear at the thought...>

bboy_mn: 

> And if 'Finnigan' could be considered plural then couldn't it 
> rightly be called the 'Finnigan's Wake'. Which brings us full cirle 
> to the "Marauder's Map", and whether Marauder is intended to be 
> singular or plural. 

Me:  

I love your train of logic!  Indeed, I could see "The Finnegan's 
Wake" referring to the entire family... as in "The Finnegan Family's 
Wake."  However, I only see this applying to the map if we 
consider "Marauder" as a substitute last name for MWPP (Moony 
Marauder, Wormtail Marauder, etc.).  If this is the case (and we have 
no canon to support this) and if MWPP intended for the map to belong 
to the entire group, it would either be (1) "The Marauder Map," 
with "Marauder" being a singular noun referencing all of the Marauder 
clan (eg "The Finnegan Wake"), or (2) "The Marauder's Map," 
with "Marauder" again being a singular word referencing a group of 
people (eg "The Finnegan's Wake).  

- Nobody's Rib, who is delighted that others are as obsessed with 
punctuation as she is