Need quick grammar help

[lawrocket 3]

Let's say Al Davis and his wife are my client. I want to write "Davis" in plural, but not possessive.

Is it "The Davises?"

Or "The Davis'?"

Or "The Davis's?"

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kelel01 1]

The Davises. Unless you're showing possession, and then it would be The Davises'.

Kelly

[Orchid 0]

Either "Davis'....or Davis's" would work.

"Love is doing small things with great love."

Lacrosse: Legally beating men with sticks since 1492

[lawrocket 3]

That's what I thought. Thanks, Kel...

Edit: that was the first grammar lesson you gave me. BEER!!!

Edit again - shoot. Orchid says something else..

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[skymama 37]

I'm thinking you would only use an apostrophe if it was a possessive.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Nightingale 0]

Kelly's right.

Davises- Plural
Davis' - Possessive
Davises' - Plural Possessive





Nouns ending in s, z, ch, sh, and x
Nouns with these letters at the end call for an "es" in the plural form. This added syllable makes pronunciation easier.

For the possessive form of plural nouns ending in "s," add only an apostrophe to the plural form of the noun:

Singers' voices
The cousins' favorite uncle

[bvsdjumper 0]

I'm not an English expert, but here's what I gather from This Site

In the section for Plural Possessives:

Quote

To make most nouns plural, add an -s or -es. The -es is added to words that end in an s or z sound.

Do not use an apostrophe.

Examples: lands dresses taxes quizzes

Incorrect: Twenty dog's were in the pack.

Correct: Twenty dogs were in the pack.

(emphasis mine)

Also,

Quote

The apostrophe is generally used with the letter s to indicate possession. It is also used in various ways to show letters have been left out of a word.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that Apostrophes are not used to make a word plural.

I believe this makes "Davises" the correct choice.

--Art

Sky-div'ing (ski'div'ing) n. A modern sport that involves parties, bragging, sexual excesses, the imbibing of large quantities of beer, and, on rare occasions, parachuting from aircraft.

[FunBobby 0]

Quote

I'm thinking you would only use an apostrophe if it was a possessive.

Yep. Apostrophes are used meant to pluralize numerals, letters, and abbreviations, but not complete words or names

The Joneses, twin brothers, were given two radios by their JM's.

FunBobby

[Laurel 0]

Quote

The Joneses, twin brothers, were given two radios by their JM's and listened to Mr. Davis' new hit song, which he dedicated to the Joneses' dog.

added a little possessive and plural possessive to that. Wow, sorry for the confusing sentence, though.

.....................................................................
PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074
My Pink M

[yardhippie 0]

but wouldnt it be:
"the Jones' dog.
??

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[FunBobby 0]

Holy grammatical trainwreck!!!!

I can handle it, though. I is college edjumicated, ya' know?

Quote

but wouldnt it be:
"the Jones' dog.
??

From the "Grammar Slammer" website (referenced above by bvsdjumper):

If the singular noun ends with an s, add apostrophe s if the extra syllable is pronounced. If the extra syllable is not pronounced (or if it otherwise looks confusing to add apostrophe s), simply add an apostrophe.

Examples: the dress's hem
(Added syllable is pronounced.)
Lloyd Bridges' son
(Added syllable is not pronounced.)

Some authorities always add an apostrophe only to any word ending with s, regardless of its pronunciation. This is acceptable. Whichever standard you follow, be consistent.

Example: the dress' hem
(Word ends in s, pronunciation does not matter.)

Also:

To make a plural noun possessive, simply add an apostrophe to the word. If the plural does not end in an s, then add an apostrophe plus s.


Examples: The girls' dresses
(The dresses belonging to the girls.)
The Wilsons' house
(The Wilsons live in the house.)

The men's room
(Plural does not end in s.)

Joneses' is correct there, because the dog belongs to Tom and Harry Jones - 2 Joneses.

FunBobby

[Laurel 0]

I'm such a grammar geek - this was fun.

.....................................................................
PMS#28, Pelogrande Rodriguez#1074
My Pink M

[Gawain 0]

Quote

Kelly's right.

Davises- Plural
Davis' - Possessive
Davises' - Plural Possessive

Nouns ending in s, z, ch, sh, and x
Nouns with these letters at the end call for an "es" in the plural form. This added syllable makes pronunciation easier.

For the possessive form of plural nouns ending in "s," add only an apostrophe to the plural form of the noun:

Singers' voices
The cousins' favorite uncle

And remember, be alert for the rare exceptions:

Cactus
Cacti - plural
Cactus' - singular possessive
Cacti's - plural possessive

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Nightingale 0]

Nope.

If you have one guy named Jones, the phrase would be "Jones' dog" but if you have multiple people named Jones, it would be "the Joneses' dog"