How do you make your last name plural on a holiday card? | | Are you about to commit a holiday faux pas with your family's greeting cards? Before you add that apostrophe to your last name, learn the simple rules that will save you from this common grammatical mistake. | |  | Jennifer A. Freeman |
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| |  | | H appy holidays from the Jones's! Or is it the Jones'? Or the Jones? There are specific guidelines to using the apostrophe punctuation mark, yet it still stumps the most diligent grammar students from time to time. The main purposes of the apostrophe are: 1) to show possession, 2) to omit letters or numbers, and 3) to pluralize singular letters or numbers.
We'll address the correct ways to use apostrophes in other editions, but this time of year brings one of the most egregious misuses of the punctuation mark: names and signing holiday cards.
The only reason apostrophes are added to nouns is to show possession; they should never be used for plurality. A last name is a proper noun. So, on your greeting cards, get rid of those apostrophes. You want to sign those cards "From, the Freemans" or "With Love, the Joneses."
The rules for making last names plural are straightforward, though they vary depending on how the name ends. For most names, simply add an "s": the Taylors, the Chens. For names ending in "ch," "s," "sh," "x," or "z," add "es": the Churches, the Lewises, the Ashes, the Foxes, the Gonzalezes.
Use an apostrophe only if you are demonstrating possession. And in that case, add it after the "s" for plural proper nouns. (You don't need an additional "s" after the apostrophe.) For example, "The Freemans' light display this year is impressive" (not "The Freeman's light display" or "The Freemans's light display"). Similarly, if a singular proper noun ends in an "s," the common guidance for possession is to add just the apostrophe. ("Alexis' mailbox is too full to fit any cards.")
The confusion over apostrophes and pluralization isn't limited to holiday cards, of course — it appears on welcome mats, mailboxes, and custom home décor all year round. You've probably seen signs reading "The Cohen's House" or "Welcome to the Garcia's." While these look decorative, they're technically incorrect unless referring to a single Cohen or Garcia (and then the resident would be referring to themself in the third person). The correct versions would be "The Cohens' House" or "Welcome to the Garcias'." |
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Emoji Decoded | |  | | Fox Face | | | Meaning: Depicts the face of a red fox, often implying cunning or cleverness.
Evolution: The Fox Face 🦊 can represent the literal animal, attributes applied to the animal (cunning, intelligence, slyness, trickery), or physical attractiveness (in the sense of "foxy").
Usage: [Caption on a selfie with red hair:] Feeling foxy with my new color 🦊 |
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| | Fox Face | | | Meaning: Depicts the face of a red fox, often implying cunning or cleverness.
Evolution: The Fox Face 🦊 can represent the literal animal, attributes applied to the animal (cunning, intelligence, slyness, trickery), or physical attractiveness (in the sense of "foxy").
Usage: [Caption on a selfie with red hair:] Feeling foxy with my new color 🦊 |
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Have you read? | |  | | The Secret History | | By Donna Tartt | | It's a college campus murder mystery, but in Donna Tartt's hands, it becomes an examination of social class dynamics, intellectual elitism, cliques, the seductive nature of belonging and power, and the human capacity for violence. Tartt famously publishes a book every 10 years or so, and "The Secret History" contains the layered characters, detailed research, and complexity I would expect from a book written over a decade. | | | | Jennifer A. Freeman, Word Smarts Senior Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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| | The Secret History | | By Donna Tartt | | It's a college campus murder mystery, but in Donna Tartt's hands, it becomes an examination of social class dynamics, intellectual elitism, cliques, the seductive nature of belonging and power, and the human capacity for violence. Tartt famously publishes a book every 10 years or so, and "The Secret History" contains the layered characters, detailed research, and complexity I would expect from a book written over a decade. | | | | Jennifer A. Freeman, Word Smarts Senior Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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You might also like | |  | | | | What Is a Backronym? | | You've heard of acronyms, but are you familiar with backronyms? In this linguistic case of chicken-and-egg, the abbreviation is conceived before the phrase. |
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