{"id":2550,"date":"2017-09-07T20:02:10","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T02:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=2550"},"modified":"2022-01-26T14:20:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:20:00","slug":"apostrophes-with-names-ending-in-s-ch-or-z-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/apostrophes\/apostrophes-with-names-ending-in-s-ch-or-z-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Apostrophes with Last Names Ending in s<\/em>, ch<\/em>, or z<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some topics in American English grammar may require repeat visits and discussions, mainly because they can remain elusive even after practice, review, and application. One of those topics is how to form the plural and possessive forms of last names ending in s<\/em>, ch<\/em>, or z. <\/em><\/p>\n

Most of us are likely comfortable with creating the plural and the plural possessive for a last name such as Robinson.<\/em> For the plural, we just add an s <\/em>(the Robinsons<\/em>). For the plural possessive, we follow with an apostrophe (the Robinsons’ porch<\/em>). But what if the last name is Dennis<\/em>, Finch<\/em>, or Martinez<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Rule:<\/strong> To form the plural of a last name that ends with an s, <\/em>add an es. <\/em>To form the possessive of the plural, add an apostrophe.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Dennises<\/span> are a nice family.
\nThe Dennises’<\/span> family lineage is fascinating.<\/p>\n

By comparison, if we are speaking of only one member of the Dennises, we would apply standard rules for singular possessive punctuation.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nSabrina Dennis is the oldest sibling.
\nSabrina Dennis’s<\/span> birth order was first. (or\u00a0<\/em>Sabrina Dennis’<\/span> birth order was first; either punctuation style is acceptable.)<\/p>\n

Rule:<\/strong> To form the plural of a last name that ends with a ch, <\/em>add an es. <\/em>To form the possessive of the plural, add an apostrophe.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Finches<\/span> live right down the street from us.
\nThe Finches’<\/span> old house is a neighborhood attraction.<\/p>\n

If the\u00a0ch\u00a0<\/em>ending makes a\u00a0k\u00a0<\/em>sound, add just an\u00a0s\u00a0<\/em>to form the plural. For the possessive, follow it with an apostrophe.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Bachs<\/span> live right down the street from us.
\nThe Bachs’<\/span> old house is a neighborhood attraction.<\/p>\n

Rule:<\/strong> To form the plural of a last name that ends with a z, <\/em>add an es. <\/em>To form the possessive of the plural, add an apostrophe.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Martinezes<\/span> like to go to the lake for time with family during the summer.
\nThe Martinezes’<\/span> favorite food to cook on the grill is chicken.<\/p>\n

By comparison, if we are speaking of only one member of the Martinezes, we would apply standard rules for singular possessive punctuation.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/em>
\nRaul Martinez joins his family at the lake for time together during the summer.
\nRaul Martinez‘s<\/span> favorite food to eat from the grill is chicken.<\/p>\n

For more helpful discussion and examples concerning this topic, see our article Apostrophes with Names Ending in s<\/em>, ch<\/em>, or z<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Applying what you’ve learned in this article, choose the correct plural or plural possessive noun in each sentence. The original proper noun is in parentheses.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I will soon be working with the [Davis’s \/ Davises’] daughter. (Davis)<\/li>\n
  2. The dog is with the [Rodriguezes’ \/ Rodriguezes] right now. (Rodriguez)<\/li>\n
  3. Have you been to the [Denches’ \/ Denches] new restaurant? (Dench)<\/li>\n
  4. The [Azizes \/ Azizzes] now have two children in college. (Aziz)<\/li>\n
  5. The [Portisses’ \/ Portises’] recipe for cotton candy has become wildly popular. (Portis)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. I will soon be working with the Davises’<\/strong> daughter.<\/li>\n
    2. The dog is with the Rodriguezes<\/strong> right now.<\/li>\n
    3. Have you been to the Denches’<\/strong> new restaurant?<\/li>\n
    4. The Azizes<\/strong> now have two children in college.<\/li>\n
    5. The Portises’<\/strong> recipe for cotton candy has become wildly popular.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
      Are you ready for the quiz?<\/h6>\n

      Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch, or z Quiz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Some topics in American English grammar may require repeat visits and discussions, mainly because they can remain elusive even after practice, review, and application. One of those topics is how to form the plural and possessive forms of last names ending in s, ch, or z. Most of us are likely comfortable with creating the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,34,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apostrophes","category-possessives","category-singular-vs-plural"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2550"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2550"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5783,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2550\/revisions\/5783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}