Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s.And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's. Brown’s dog, Brown’s car, Brown’s house. We have lots of different techniques we use when making the house signs depending on your choice of material. ). Pat yourself on the back! But if the part assumed is “[This is] The Brown’s [home]”, then “Brown’s” is correct (possessive), and although I would be inclined to word it “[This is] The Brown [home]”, I never see it just “The Brown”. Apostrophes are those little curved marks you see hanging from certain letters. Why can’t it be a place belonging to each Brown? It should. Why do they have to be taken collectively and not individually? Mid Devon district council is planning a vote to abolish the apostrophe from all its street signs. Adding an apostrophe or apostrophe s after Jakes both shows that the house is owned by Jakes. Apostrophes #3 “Cellphone” makes sense to me, but “The Cellphone”… huh? ; The marking of possessive case of nouns (as in the eagle's feathers, in one month's time, at your … The apostrophe (' or ’) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. Oh boy. Helen’s house. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s. Examples: a woman’s hat. If my last name is Mekalson, my sign should say … Welcome to the Mekalsons’ because it is implying that we are welcoming them to our house, right? How does adding an apostrophe show that the family has more members? One person is Susan Smith. An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’”. That was a win in my book! Since we don’t refer to Mrs. & Mr. “Smiths” (in the plural), it seems we’d use the singular: On the other hand, it’s a house which belongs to two Smiths, so. NO POSSESSIVE: THE JONESES They look harmless enough, so why do even well educated people throw them where they don’t belong and leave them out where they’re needed? The children's rooms are upstairs, and the parents' bedroom is downstairs. Rule 1c. In my neighborhood, it’s common for homes to have a sign in front, perhaps above the mailbox, with either the name of the property (“Dun Row Min”) or the family (“Brown”). (I can’t think of a single case in English where an apostrophe implies pronunciation of a letter that’s not written.). from $54.95 ... single/ plural forms, commas, apostrophe and other punctuation use.-- It is VERY IMPORTANT to double check the details that you submit to us. Then it would be Brown’s (if used possessively). But I also know there needs to be a noun after the apostrophe to be modified. Like, “I’m not Cellphone… I’m THE Cellphone”. You should, of course, observe your publisher’s or instructor’s requirements. Jakes’ house is built in 1999. The look of death she gave me. Or seen a sign that reads “Coffee and Doughnut’s”? That was a win in my book! It would be pronounced “Marcuses” house–so the spelling should be “Marcus’s”. The Smiths' (with an apostrophe after the s) is plural possessive and means the possession of more than one "Smith" of something (see … I hope that if enough English lovers/teachers/respecters pile on, maybe we can kill the apostrophe in those deplorable signs! And we all know how that turns out, especially with lemmings, right? As much as I dislike the misused apostrophe, it has its place (not “it’s” place). "The Johnson's" is a possessive form of the proper noun, as in the Johnson's house, the Johnson's blasé attitude towards telemarketers, The Johnson's willingness to run from danger, etc. The sign is welcoming people to their home, not their family, so I feel the possession is implied (Welcome to the Frankes’ house) and that the apostrophe is necessary. So the question is: should it be " The Browns " or " The Browns’ "? In English, it is used for three purposes: The marking of the omission of one or more letters (as in the contraction of do not to don't). She was all proud of showing it off, and I blurted out it shouldn’t have an apostrophe. It would be “Tim Brown’s Home,” which you would put on the sign, not, “The Brown’s.”, If your name is Brown, and there are more than one of you, then you are “The Browns,” and your home is “The Browns’ Home,” not “The Brown’s Home.”, An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’”. Rule 5: To indicate separate possession, add whichever possessive sign is appropriate (an apostrophe plus s or an apostrophe alone) to the name of each person: Examples: Bill’s and Tom’s cars (two separate cars: Bill’s car and Tom’s car), James’s and Olivia’s houses (two separate houses: James’s house and Olivia’s house) It indicates that one person – the top Wilson of all Wilsons – possesses the house. So what is the best punctuation for a sign? Urgent! Have you ever received a Christmas letter in the mail with a return address label that says “Love, the Connolly’s”? So, “JOHN JONES’ HOUSE” should actually be “JOHN JONES’S HOUSE”, since Jones (like Marcus) is singular. Similarly, many common nouns end in the letter s (lens, cactus, bus, etc.) My name is Marcus. That’s a difficult name to work with, but it doesn’t have to be. But, maybe you have a door mat or a sign in the kitchen – one of those popular pieces of family wall art with your family name “Est. And yes, you are right. OTOH, I could envision a sign that said, literally, “This is the Brown’s place”. It’s a shorthand way of saying “The Smiths live here.” Now, go out and look at YOUR house sign. When we write John's house, apostrophe signifies that house belongs to John; but in such phrases what does apostrophe signify? The page linked above (American Grammar Checkup: Apostrophes #4: Possessives) confirms this: “If the base word is singular, add an apostrophe and s.” Simple. Besides, “[This is] The Browns’ [Home]” is nothing I could ever see anyone reading into a sign. Then it would be very clear that one should add either an apostrophe or apostrophe+s to the basic root, as you do correctly instruct. And if anyone you know is a sign maker, you might want to show that person this post. Say a family named Smith lives in a house. If your name is Brown, and there are more than one of you, then you are “The Browns,” and your home is “The Browns’ Home,” not “The Brown’s Home.”. If it was just your house, “Welcome to Dena Mekalson’s house” would be right. But what about last names that already end in s, like Jones? Reference ... Amy is nine and Ross is seven. Converting that phrase to mostly understood, “[This is] the Brown’s [place]” would also be correct. If you use one person’s name and a pronoun for the other person, add the apostrophe and “s” only to the name -- “Jimmy’s and her favorite movies.”. Apostrophe (’) - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary Remember that apostrophes in this use show possession--and that's exactly what you're saying. How would you write about the house which belongs to Mrs. & Mr. Smith? "Browns’ " is both plural and posessive. Apostrophes #4. A contraction is a shortened form of a word (or group of words) that omits certain letters or sounds. Two or more persons with that last name are the Smiths. To show plural possession, make the proper noun plural first, then use the apostrophe. no apostrophe needed – your family is not possessive This common mistake tends to happen less in the home and more often on printed announcements. But it will confuse people so the former may be easier. Now, if there is another noun AFTER the name on the sign, then using the S and THEN the apostrophe is correct. But what about last names that already end in. Last name gross how that work lol I leave as is. Examples include “the boy ’ s bike,” “the dog ’ s leash,” and “Bob ’ s house.” If a singular noun does end in S, you should add an apostrophe and an S to make the word possessive. They are titles. My problem with this is that’s not how an English speaker would pronounce that phrase. The apostrophe ( ’ ) has three uses: contractions, plurals, and possessives. English is a challenging language, and all too often, following the rules can mean writing sentences that readers can't understand. Collectively they own it as a single family unit. People love to write, for instance “Marcus’ House”. Here's why. Do you need to change it? Do you live in Cleveland? Imminent apostrophe catastrophe! In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. Contractions (e.g., let’s, don’t, couldn’t, it’s, she’s) have a bad reputation.Many argue that they have no place at all in formal writing. So, the plural possessive would be the Smiths’. When the … If the part assumed is “The Browns [live here]”, then “Browns” is correct (plural). The Johnsons' house (the house belonging to the Johnsons) Note how some family names fall into this category, as in this example from Richard Lederer and John Shore's book, "Comma Sense." Apostrophe Use: Contractions and Omissions. So, the plural possessive would be the Smiths’. In any case, I have no qualms with possessive pronouns, it the article “the” in front of a single person’s name that I think is weird. and so do a lot of proper nouns (Mr. James, Texas, Christmas, etc. So remember: For a house sign, you don’t want or need any apostrophe. One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s. Examples: Test your knowledge to see if yours are in the right spot! In that case (possessive), the apostrophe would be correct. The apostrophe goes before the s if it’s one person who is the owner or member of something; and the apostrophe goes after the s if it’s multiple people who are the owners or members of something. That’s OK. I’ll wait. Even then, if only one Brown lives there, who the hell uses “the” in a sigular context unless they’re royalty or it’s a title. Secondly, is the apostrophe supposed to be pronounced in any way (or is 'Murican pronounced the same as Murican)? Ask Question Asked 12 months ago. "The Johnsons" is the correct answer. Was it done correctly? You didn’t read my post at ALL, did you? Remember “A Clockwork Orange” with HOME in blue neon? Does this picture make you shudder? Saying, “the Brown family’s place” is different because then you’re using “Brown” to describe “family”, which is singular. Smiths is easy enough, right? Apostrophes #2 “The Brown’s” is completely incorrect, unless only one Brown lives there. Your email address will not be published. Peaches. Example 3: The leakage of chemicals’ residues to the river can cause environmental pollution. To say the Smith’s live here makes no sense. Isn’t smith comparable to group or family in this instance? This indicates more than one person named Wilson possesses the residence. This is one of my biggest pet peeves: someone gets a sign PAINTED with “Brown’s”. Like the group’s home or the family’s home. Mrs. Brown, Mr. Brown and all the little Brownies. It belongs to a family whose name is Brown. "If you must announce possession, place the apostrophe after the plural names — the Smiths', The Gumps' and The Joneses'." name are the Smiths. Apostrophe or not? Apostrophe rules can be broken into four main categories. Apostrophe. The sign should therefore read “The Addamses,” or “The Addamses’ house” or “The Addamses’s house.” Isn’t the answer to the question “Who lives there?” actually “the Addamses”? It's not right, and it doesn't. the boss’s wife. Good grief, Dena — good for you! Your email address will not be published. Rule 5: To indicate separate possession, add whichever possessive sign is appropriate (an apostrophe plus s or an apostrophe alone) to the name of each person: Examples: Bill’s and Tom’s cars (two separate cars: Bill’s car and Tom’s car), James’s and Olivia’s houses (two separate houses: James’s house and Olivia’s house) If so, then you might want to spell it out: “The Brown family’s home.”. The use of apostrophes in last names is no different from their use in any other word. Or. The Smith's (with an apostrophe before the s) is the possessive of "Smith" and indicates one person ownership. OTOH, I could envision a sign that said, literally, “This is the Brown’s place”. In case the sign was ‘The Millers’ Home’, then the usage of apostrophe is right, as the noun is used in a plural possessive form, indicating that the house belongs to more than one Miller. If you are referring to a house to belong to a family named "Smith," the sign would read "The Future … But there’s more than one member of the Brown family, and all of them live at their place. Best usage for a house/family sign: apostrophe or no. If you wanted to indicate it was a residence belonging to the Wilson family, it would be The Wilsons’. Besides, “ [This is] The Browns’ [Home]” is nothing I could ever see anyone reading into a sign. Brown’s dog, Brown’s car, Brown’s house. SINGULAR POSSESSIVE: JOHN JONES’ HOUSE The Smiths' house has two floors. “The King”… “The Messiah”… “The Boss”… Okay, fine. For me, one of my bigger peeves (one that makes my skin crawl, teeth hurt, eyes twitch — you name it) is the misuse and abuse of the apostrophe. Then how do you feel about My Documents, My Music, My Files or My Magic Places? So remember: For a house sign, you don’t want or need any apostrophe. Each house sign is individual - personalised to your requirements. Can’t a last name when referring specifically to the family members (like smith’s house) be a collective noun and singular possessive? If you’re an editor (or royalty), you could use “we” even if you live alone. Hardly anyone understands using apostrophes in names, let alone plurals or possessives. We found some examples that show others may feel the same way But I’m not going to say, “Hi, I am the Cellphone!”. NOT Smith’s. Required fields are marked *, And if for some reason the Smiths wanted to use the possessive, they would have to use the. You choose the material, the size, the style of lettering as well as an image, should you want one. Read on to discover all the apostrophe rules you'll ever need to know! The apostrophe sign in informal shortened phrases. Customizable Slate House Sign - Life is Better in the Country Plaque - Handmade and Personalized. We assume that the sign is for the outside of a house, and that there is more than one member of the Lenz family.The plural of Lenz is Lenzes. Apostrophes are very important to get your meaning across. In your # 4. of apostrophe tips on 2/17/16 “With the Possessive Form of a Surname That shingle on your neighbor’s porch should not read, “The Brown’s house,” unless your neighbor’s legal name is “the Brown.” A sign identifying the residence of the Browns should read “The Browns’ house” (or simply “The Browns”).” I doubt if there is a hard and fast answer to my question even though it is about grammar/punctuation, so I’m really polling y’all for opinions on how this should look. It belongs to a family whose name is Brown. Just the pure plural will work. You could use “We live here.” as well. Are you with me so far? Just the pure plural will work. Explanation: Jakes (singular noun) is the name of a person. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. It’s a shorthand way of saying “The Smiths live here.” Now, go out and look at YOUR house sign. PLURAL POSSESSIVE: THE JONESES’ HOUSE. Contractions. In that case (possessive), the apostrophe would be correct. For example: Welcome to the Turners' Home, ...the Powells' Cottage,...the Scotts' Home..., etc. I have=I’ve. Steps 1 to 5 are our most basic and important rules of possessive apostrophes. Let’s assume that the Brown household has at least two members, just to keep us on the same page. I’m a Mac user and don’t have to put up with such nonsense. If your name is Brown, and there is only one of you, then it wouldn’t be “the Brown’s” home- unless you’re REALLY pretentious. The plural of Smith is Smiths. But this is a perfect example of being smart in one area — sign making — but not necessarily in another — grammar. 2002” type deals. For more on apostrophes: If you are using the names of two different people in a possessive form, you add the apostrophe and the “s” only to the second name -- “Mary and Sally’s red blouses.”. Simple, safe for identity theft purposes, and accurate. My mother got a ceramic snowman for Christmas that you’re supposed to stick a candle in. I see far too many signs saying “Welcome to the Smith’s house,” or “The Smith’s,” which are just so wrong. So today I’m focusing on formatting house signs that tell others who lives in the house, although all kinds of signs can be so wrong (see below). Peaches’ skins. Apostrophes #1 You could use “We live here.” as well. Sometimes the family name is made into a more descriptive phase like “The Browns” or “The Brown’s”. Therefiore, it’s “the Browns’ [place]”. It shows something that many folks struggle with before deciding to just follow the herd. 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." Sorry, I actually had a question and got sidetracked. Many homeowners pay for signs that are incorrect, probably because that’s how the sign maker made it and they figure it must be right. Until apostrophes disappear from English altogether, you can take one step toward apostrophe reform by perfecting the art of […] The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries, or modals attached to other words: He would=He’d. ‘The Miller’s’ would be an incorrect use of apostrophe in the above example. Lisa's room is always clean while Ross's room is always messy. And if for some reason the Smiths wanted to use the possessive, they would have to use the plural possessive. Jakes’s house is built in 1999. Paging Spoons or Muffin! “ A friend had told me about Apostrophe and mentioned that you can see a doctor and get prescription medication without leaving your house. When a singular noun doesn’t end in S, you just need to add an apostrophe and an S to make it possessive. Since this is not a complete sentence, there must be some parts assumed, and what is assumed can affect the punctuation. 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