Writer's Style Guide

Introduction
Abbreviations
Capitalization
Dates, Numbers, Places
Plurals & Possessives
Punctuation Primer
Sensitivities
Titles
Tech Talk
Tricky Words
Pet Peeves
Proofreaders' Marks

Plurals & Possessives

Names

Form plurals of family names that end in “s” by adding “es.”

Right:	The Jameses live in Hyde Park.
Right:	The James family lives in Hyde Park.

Form plurals and possessives of proper names that end with “s,” “x” and “z” like this:

Right:	Burns’ poems
Right:	Marx’s theories
Right:	Savitz’s holdings

Plural possessives combine the above rules:

Right:	the Jones family’s reputation
Right:	The Joneses’ reputation

Plurals

Form plurals of the following by adding “s” alone:

Right:	dos and don’ts
Right:	CDs
Right:	M.A.s and Ph.D.s
Right:	The three Rs
Right:	the early 1920s
Right:	several YMCAs
Right:	CODs and IOUs
Right:	in twos and threes

Form plurals of the following by adding ’s:

Right:	S’s, A’s and I’s
Right:	x’s and o’s
Right:	SOS’s

top | next page