Public Service Announcement Regarding Apostrophes – Part 4 

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We’ve spent the past three weeks pluralizing last names WITHOUT using a single apostrophe. So, that leads to a question I would ask: What if it looks ugly?

 

For example, my friend’s last name is Collins. She detests the way her pluralized last name looks: Collinses. She refused to order a welcome mat for her front door because she didn’t like how “Welcome from the Collinses” looked on the doormat. However, I wouldn’t let her have a grammatically incorrect doormat. Even if you don’t like how it looks, it’s still grammatically correct to add the “es.” You never use an apostrophe.

 

The correct answers to our earlier pop quiz questions are:

 

Merry Christmas from the Humphreys 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lowerys 

Happy Holidays from the Blinkinses 

Best wishes from the Marquezes 

Thank you from the Carsellos

 

And listen, I get it. My colleague’s last name is Walters. The plural expression of her last name is Walterses. She thinks it looks awkward and clunky. So, if you don’t like how your name looks when making it plural for this year’s holiday greeting cards, then here’s a solution that works for everyone. Cheat. Change the wording. You are welcome to say:

 

Merry Christmas from the Walters Family

Season’s Greetings from the Collins Family

 

But, whatever you do, don’t add an apostrophe.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Public Service Announcement Regarding Apostrophes – Part 3 

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Last week we answered questions 1 and 2. This week let’s tackle questions 3 and 4. As a reminder, we’re talking about how to pluralize last names for our Christmas and holiday greeting cards.

 

Question 3: What if my last name ends with an “x,” or a “z,” or an “sh,” or with “ch”?

 

Question 4: What if my last name ends with “y”?

 

The answer to the above questions remains the same: No apostrophe is needed. Ever. Never use apostrophes to pluralize your last name on your greeting cards. Ever.

 

What if your last name ends with an “x,” or a “z,” or an “sh,” or with “ch”? The same pluralization rule holds true with these examples. If the last name is Birch, the plural is Birches. If the last name is Lomax, the plural is Lomaxes. If the last name is Samesh, the plural is Sameshes. If the last name is Nantz, the plural is Nantzes.

 

What if your last name ends with “y”? With common nouns that end with “y” such as baby, the grammar rule dictates changing the “y” to “i” and adding “es.” Baby becomes babies when pluralized. However, that rule does not apply to proper names. You will never change the spelling of your last name to make it plural; you simply keep the “y” and add an “s” to the end. If the last name is Kerry, the plural is Kerrys, NOT Kerries. And, what if your last name ends with a “ys” already? You add “es” to the end of the “ys.” An example is Humphreyses.

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

You might also like:

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