With Christmas cards at the top of my to-do list, I thought I'd seize the opportunity for a little greeting card grammar and the use of plural surnames in signing cards. There seems to be a growing trend to add an apostrophe with an s to make a name plural, the Davenport's as an example of incorrect form. It's one of the great mysteries of life...my life anyway. (Apostrophes are reserved for showing possession or used when a letter(s) is absent from a word.)
We sign our cards "The Davenports" - adding an s to the end of our name.
But what about a surname that ends in an s or a z, such as Jones? The plural of Jones is Joneses - an es is added to the end of the name.
Then there are the names ending in sh or ch, such as Walsh or Church. To make them plural, add an es to the end, so they become the Walshes or the Churches.
It's really not difficult. Just forget the apostrophe...or opt for the use of first names. ; )
Why couldn't you have posted this two days ago? I just did my cards and according to what I just read on your blog post I addressed them all wrong! AHHHHH! So you NEVER you an apostrophe? Really? I think I could learn a lot from you! :)
ReplyDeleteKelly, you never use an apostrophe when making a name plural, but you would when making it plural possessive. For example, if you were to say, "We're going to the Davenports'" an apostrophe after the s would be correct because possession is implied, the Davenports' house. If it makes you feel better, most people won't notice. ;)
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