Holiday card senders: You are the Smiths, not the Smith’s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

Short for the Smith's home... which is correct.

Nope. As someone said above, it would be the Smiths' home.

Their name is Smith. Their house is the Smith's house. My last name ends with S, so I get the s'.

You are wrong. Their last name is Smith. There's more than one in the house, ergo the Smiths' (plural possessive) house. Alternatively it could be called the Smith house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

In that case the possessive is correct because the name is a possessive adjective as in Welcome to the Smith’s [home].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And why do all the teachers I know get this wrong on their cards?!

I think you should look up conventions in old Strunk & White books. I was taught to use the apstrophe especially if the surname is need in S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for this, OP.

Also: It's anyway, not anyways. Not that anyone asked.

Or any one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

Short for the Smith's home... which is correct.

Nope. As someone said above, it would be the Smiths' home.

Their name is Smith. Their house is the Smith's house. My last name ends with S, so I get the s'.

You are wrong. Their last name is Smith. There's more than one in the house, ergo the Smiths' (plural possessive) house. Alternatively it could be called the Smith house.

They are one smith family not multiple smith families, so smith’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

Short for the Smith's home... which is correct.

Nope. As someone said above, it would be the Smiths' home.

Their name is Smith. Their house is the Smith's house. My last name ends with S, so I get the s'.

You are wrong. Their last name is Smith. There's more than one in the house, ergo the Smiths' (plural possessive) house. Alternatively it could be called the Smith house.

They are one smith family not multiple smith families, so smith’s.

No. The family is called The Smiths. Their house is The Smiths' house. If they are called The Joneses, their house is The Joneses' house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still recall a friend’s expensive, professionally-made holiday card with the family name printed collage style in varying fonts proclaiming Merry Christmas*Lewis’s*Lewis’s*

I’d like to use this thread to publicly shame a church leader who insists upon sending invitations for the youth group to gather at the Johnson’s house or thanking the O’Malley’s for hosting. “Thanks for the flowers, Robinson’s!

Why wouldn’t it be “the Johnson’s house”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

Short for the Smith's home... which is correct.

No, it's not. Is their physical house wishing you a merry Christmas? No. The family is. The plural group of people. This isn't complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still recall a friend’s expensive, professionally-made holiday card with the family name printed collage style in varying fonts proclaiming Merry Christmas*Lewis’s*Lewis’s*

I’d like to use this thread to publicly shame a church leader who insists upon sending invitations for the youth group to gather at the Johnson’s house or thanking the O’Malley’s for hosting. “Thanks for the flowers, Robinson’s!

Why wouldn’t it be “the Johnson’s house”?

Because the family is referred to collectively as the Johnsons, and not the Johnson. You could say either the Johnson family's house or the Johnsons' house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so annoying to me too. I have even seen a few people who have a welcome mat or sign hanging up at their house w their surname that says “welcome to the Smith’s.” I really wish someone would tell them (but I’m not going to be the one to do that/too much of a people pleaser)

Short for the Smith's home... which is correct.

It’s incorrect.

John smith, sakira smith, bobby smith, muhammad smith =

The Smiths’ home

[Anonymous]

Just write:

To: House Stark
The North, Westeros

[Anonymous]

Here’s where I’ll spend the next hour:

https://www.apostrophe.org.uk/examples

The Apostrophe Preservation Society!