Blog Reader Asks About Apostrophe with a Name

A reader wants to know about using an apostrophe with a last name that ends in "s." He wonders whether the following example would be possessive or simply plural:



I'm going over to the Sanders this afternoon.

Here is my reply:

If your friend's last name ends in "s," you have two choices for using the PLURAL--Your friend and his family can be referred to as the Sanders or the Sanderses. Most people would probably choose "the Sanders" with this last name. Someone named "Harris" would probably choose "the Harrises."

As far as whether your sentence example is plural or possessive (or both), it is at least partially a matter of perception.

"I'm going over to the Sanders this afternoon."--This is certainly correct and would be my choice.

However, you could also say "I'm going over to the Sanders' this afternoon." This suggests that you are IMPLYING "the Sanders' house," which would be possessive. Note that the apostrophe goes AFTER THE "s."

To clarify, why not just say, "I'm going over to the Sanders' house this afternoon." Then you have no ambiguity.