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";s:4:"text";s:25864:"I subscribe to the rule that to make a word possessive, you add "apostrophe + s." Even when the word already ends in "s," this is the rule I follow. a. If you quote this article, you must link back to this page. Proper names are a term we use for people and places, as well as businesses. Sometimes, it's called the grocer's apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements (3 orange's for a dollar!). b. collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes; ), this rule is widely supported in English style guides. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggleses' presentation was good." The Eggleses are a husband and wife consultant team.) To ensure that personal data is kept for no longer than necessary, the Business shall put in place an archiving policy for each area in which personal data is processed and review this process annually. The Business shall note the appropriate lawful basis in the Register of Systems. Always pay attention to whether an apostrophe is intended to indicate possession or a contraction, and remember that possessive pronouns don't take apostrophes. Add an apostrophe as well as an additional s: Charles’s, Harris’s, James’s. Thus, the possesive case would be Rogers'house (adding the apostrophe) or Rogerses'house. Learn where to insert apostrophes to make last names plural. The name Williams is tougher because it ends with s. Names (and all other nouns, for that matter) that end in sibilants (that is, the sounds s, sh, ch, z, or x) are made plural by the addition of es. Last names (plurals and possessives) Names are nouns, and they are made plural and possessive like other regular nouns. Just click the "Subscribe" button to sign up! My last name ends in s. The possessive singular is Douglas' or Douglas's, the plural is Douglases, the possessive plural is Douglases'. (Or The Nashes's House--there are different styles on that last one.) The mistake of using an apostrophe to make last names plural is so common that it has been widely addressed by such prominent publications as Southern Living, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. The names Smith and Williams would need to be in the possessive case only if the greeting were from Jane Smith’s hamster or John Williams’s goldfish. Get It Write uses cookies to enhance your experience on our website. So If your last name is Jones, please, please don’t sign the card, “The Jones‘” before you send it. The basic rule is simple enough: a possessive form is spelled with 's at the end. It can be tricky to address a plural family if their last name ends in an S, X, Z, CH, or SH. Possessive pronouns vs contractions. If you think this Get It Write explanation is clear and helpful, please help improve our ranking in organic searches by sharing the link on social media and elsewhere. Terrified of using "who" when a "whom" is called for? Do you avoid the words "affect" and "effect" altogether? Grammar Girl is here to help! Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. To form the plural, add an s or es: the Smiths, the Dalys, the Patels, the Dickenses, the Joneses, the Harrises.Then, to form the possessive of this plural, simply add an apostrophe after the s, as you would for any other plural word. General provisions Should Christians Own Guns? So some common plural last names, given this rule, would be written like this: It’s simple enough when you think about it, and you’ll note there’s no apostrophe to be found. a. It’s a Curious Term. To form the possessive of a country or place name that already ends in s, follow the same rules as those for people’s names. To ensure its processing of data is lawful, fair and transparent, the Business shall maintain a Register of Systems. Security Fortunately, the rules governing the usage of the possessive -s and the plural form are quite clear cut and logical. When something belongs to more than one person and we give a list of names, we put 's on the last name. It seem’s to be more and more common for people to (incorrectly) use apostrophe’s in making just about all word’s plural. Possessives of plural names. ¶ Over 1.5 million copies sold! So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the Rodriguezes. Get It Write Online The name of a country would be a proper name, as well as the name of a restaurant. Is Owning One Anti-Christian? Possessives. Here are some warm-up examples on the use of the plural vs. apostrophe-s. Plurals are in italics and possessives are underlined. But when we get in a hurry, it’s easy to make the mistake of using an apostrophe when we don’t need one. It’s not that I think so highly of myself; I just think the added “s” makes my name sound awkward. The Business shall ensure that personal data is stored securely using modern software that is kept-up-to-date. A guide to proper American English word usage, grammar, pronunciation, and style features examples of good and bad usage from the media. Two Spaces After a Period or Just One? Just when you thought it was settled, Elizabeth O’Brien’s Grammar Revolution throws a wrench into that simplicity with one key exception: if your name ends with -ch but is pronounced like a k, like Monarch, then you just add an -s, not -es. Don't do it! Remembering Jeanne Robertson: My 5 Favorite Videos, Crowd Booed Trump When He Urged Vaccination, New Emojis to Add Pregnant Man, Finger Heart, Melting Face, OnlyFans Reverses Explicit Content Ban Decision, OnlyFans Will Ban Adult Content in October, Apple’s Child Porn Scanning Plan Draws Privacy Concerns, Article Accuses Netflix of Clickbaiting Shows, Cable Networks Need Streaming Options for Cord Cutters, CBS to Bring ‘The Trumpet’ to Revamped ‘CBS Mornings’, throws a wrench into that simplicity with one key exception. Other style guides, such as the AP Stylebook, suggest adding only the apostrophe. b. On a return address is using an apostrophe on a last name: The Smiths is plural for "Smith" and means there is more than one person named Smith and the invitation is from them all. Form the possessive of a plural place name by adding only an apostrophe (the United States’ land area). This book whimsically explores questions about life and nature, whilst also gently teaching moral lessons about bullying, friendship, respecting others and learning to be who you are. The possessive of a place name is usually formed by adding an apostrophe and an s (as with any other name). Ever. A comprehensive guide to legal style and usage, with practical advice on how to write clear, jargon-free legal prose. Includes style tips as well as definitions. The standard pattern is to treat the two partners as a single unit—a couple—and put an apostrophe only after the last name: "John and Jane's villa," "Ben & Jerry's ice cream.". Using apostrophes with possessive nouns gets a little more confusing when the noun ends in a sibilant (an s, z or x sound). With a word like box, the possessive version is fairly straightforward: the box's hinges. See, for example, Garner's Modern American Usage at . If the possessive involves a last name ending with "s" or "z," you can add either. What if God Planned the COVID-19 Vaccine? Fake News Epidemic Prompts Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Random Link Insertion? And another foreign wrinkle on pluralizing and possessive-izing foreign names: Chicago would also pluralize a -z name like Velazquez as "Velazquez" (with possessive "Velazquez'"), which accords with the judgment of various Spanish grammars. (Beth) plural or possessive? (Apostrophes imply possession, which isn't what you're trying to do. Here are some shockers: “They” was once commonly used for both singular and plural, much the way “you” is today. To form the possessive of a plural place name, simply add an apostrophe after the s (without an additional s). Accuracy Register of Systems means a register of all systems or contexts in which personal data is processed by the Business. The Smiths' house is the biggest on the block. Incorrect: Tumkin visited the Philippine's last year. With this rule, given the last name I used in the example above, Jones, you’d just add -es to make the Joneses. You’ve got this. We use cookies to offer you the best experience. Rule #2: You never need an apostrophe when signing or addressing cards. NOTE : the generally accepted convention for most academic styles (including CMOS, APA, and MLA) is to add apostrophe + s to the singular form of the word, even if it ends in . John's and Bob's wives' names are both Julie. In terms of subject matter, it’s a little of everything, from blogging to tech to grammar to faith. The rules are fairly simple. Greece in the age of Heroes. Answer (1 of 5): Both are correct. John's and Bob's wives' names are both Julie. These nouns might end in one of those letters, or they might also end in . The method for forming a possessive noun from a plural noun is almost similar like that of singular possessive noun. You can form the possessive of a name ending in s either by simply adding an apostrophe after the s or by adding both an apostrophe and another s. Don’t insert an apostrophe before the s when the s is part of the name. Write the plural or possessive form of the noun in parenthesis. Add 's for possessive, s for plural, and s' for . Plural Possessive Nouns. To refer to an entire family, you need a plural. The eagle's egg hatched. There are two Smiths in the marriage (a husband and a wife, in this case), so this is a straightforward plural possessive. Here are some other correct examples of names that end in sibilants and are thus made plural by adding es: The following names do not end in sibilants and are thus made plural simply by adding s (but not an apostrophe! Plural possessive: Pluralize, then add an apostrophe. Both styles are acceptable in formal writing. The first lesson I want to make sure you always remember is a simple one: The apostrophe doesn’t make names plural. And now it’s time to fill them out and make sure that you make your last name plural so you include your entire family in the sending of Season’s Greetings! How do you pluralize a last name that ends in s? The Chicago Manual of Style and APA Publication Manual recommend an additional s after the apostrophe. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is filled with easy-to-understand rules,real-world examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre- and post-tests. Of the seven examples below, which ones are correct if the writer is sending greetings from more than one person with the same last name? possessive 3. END OF POLICY. For plural possessives of such names, always insert the apostrophe after the final s. Add an apostrophe and s to form possessives of names ending in x and z. d. accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay; If a word ends in -s, -ch, or -z, how do you make it plural? the Churches BUT the Brachs (soft ch sound vs. k sound) the Rushes. The illusive apostrophe has long been a source of frustration for MANY. Here at “Patrick’s Place,” I try to look at various topics and find a commonsense solution where there’s a conflict. Examples 3 and 4 are correct because in both cases the words are plural but not possessive. There seems to be a confusion between plurals and possessives here. Thank you! If you want to give the name of each boy, you only make the last one possessive: Pete, Thomas, and Leonard's dog. . Don't add punctuation; instead, add an "es" to the end of the name like this: ¶ It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural; if there is one owner, add 's to the singular (The Smiths' car vs. Smith's car). But the no-apostrophe rule remains! This standard work on punctuation has long been judged the foremost study of the subject. It reveals punctuation to be both an indispensable craft and an invaluable art - a friend, not an enemy. In school, we are taught that Chris' is the proper way to write about something that belongs to Chris. 1. The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage is an up-to-date, evidence-based account of the variable points in Australian usage and style, in alphabetical format. However, English has inherited a great word-hoard from French, Spanish and other languages with many words bearing an s . Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. For instance, the AP Stylebook recommends this style, as do others, if only for its simplicity. Dec 28 2011 21:29:47. anonymous. Ho or Hoe? What’s Bigger for You? (eagle) plural or possessive . Cite it. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggleses' presentation was good." The Eggleses are a husband and wife consultant team.) c. Individuals have the right to access their personal data and any such requests made to the Business shall be dealt with in a timely manner. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. The rules below are based on The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, and are appropriate for most writing. Ever. Since the writer intends for the greetings to come from all the family members, the name needs to be plural (and, as we have already noted, not possessive): Singular names: Smith, Williams Elision is what happens in a contraction: don't. The apostrophe shows that a letter has been skipped over or elided. SimpleMost breaks it down this way: if your last name ends with one of the following, you just add an -es . So If your last name is Jones, please, please don't sign the card, "The Jones'" before you send it. Therefore, it takes only an apostrophe, so the correct answer is "the Rock Shelters' bone-tool assemblage." The possessive is formed the same way whether the noun it modifies—in this case, assemblage—is singular or plural. The possessive plural is often confused with the singular possessive form because the word in question typically already contains an -s, as is the case with "clients." This article will use client's and clients' to look at the possessive and the possessive plural and how they differ from one another. Never add an additional s to form the possessive of a place name that is plural, regardless of which style guide you follow. (turtle) plural or possessive? Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. Please Get It Right! Possessive Forms for Proper Names. If you have a plural of a proper name that ends in ch, s, x, or z and need to make it possessive also, don't overthink it! Apostrophe after X. If you chose 3, 4, and 7, you can probably stop reading now. Expect a new post every day, so if you take a few days away, when you come back, there should be plenty of new material for you to read. Many do so without apology’s. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. 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