For names ending in s, form the possessive either by simply adding an apostrophe (Lucas’ letters) or by adding an apostrophe as well as ( Extra: When to use as well as) another s (Silas’s phone). Wrong: The Smith’s also want a gerbil. Misplaced apostrophes can indicate that one person owns something that really belongs to more than one, or they can turn a plural noun into a possessive. The Whole Family’s Last Name. 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. The … Don’t use apostrophes when you mean to make last names plural. When signing your family's holiday cards this season, disabuse yourself of the notion that adding an apostrophe to your last name "looks right" or "makes sense." If the possessive involves a last name ending with "s" or "z," you can add … With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s. For James, the plural possessive sounds as if it has two S sounds when we pronounce it, so we would use an apostrophe and an S. Here are some more examples: James’s father is in the hospital. Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. If your last name feels really confusing, ending with a ‘ys,’ like in “Mays” or “Humphreys,” don’t panic—the rule is always the same. Here's why. When in doubt, we like to use "The Smith Family". As for what to tack on, usually you only have to add an s to the end of their entire last name—even if the last letter is y. As in, “I went to see the Andersons last night. Apostrophe rules also mention that if the family name has ending like x, ch, sh, or z, however, we need to add … Apostrophes with Names Ending in S. Common nouns: When it comes to grammar rules for apostrophe after s, you should be consistent in writing. Names are pluralized like regular words. The Andersons’ dog was so cute!” Andersons ~~ is plural of … What to Know. 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). The Smith's (with an apostrophe before the s) is the possessive of "Smith" and … The members of the Johnson and Smith families, for instance, are the Johnsons and the Smiths, not the Johnson’s and the Smith’s. For your last name, it ends in ‘s,’ so just add the ‘es’: “Merry Christmas from the Mayses” or … The possessive of a plural name is always formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s (the Smiths’ dog, … Most nouns ending in s are pluralized by adding es. If it’s singular, whether a surname or first name, it should be apostrophe + “s.” I don’t care whether it’s James or John, Jones or Smith. This applies to last names … Don’t change the spelling of your last name and don’t add an apostrophe. To show possession of a whole family: First, add -es or -s to write the family’s last name in plural form. You're not trying to make your last name possessive, which is what adding an apostrophe does (the Smith's). Plural last names. Do you put an apostrophe after a last name that ends in “s”? Last names ending in s are no different. Apostrophes in Company Names A former contestant on the reality show The Apprentice started a business named Bakers Toolkit, and her Twitter followers went bonkers about the missing apostrophe. The logic is that all names should be treated the same. Right: The Smiths also want a gerbil. Classically, it is not correct to just add an apostrophe to a last name that already ends in “s” if it is singular possessive. 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