Writing Tip 14: (a.k.a. “Keeping up with the Joneseses”)
No matter how many times you see it monogrammed on invitations, cute beach bags, and graceful signage by the front door, apostrophes never make a family name plural. Never. Retailers sometimes seem convinced of the opposite on this one, but it isn’t true.
Apostrophes should only be used to indicate possession or a contraction. Don’t be one of the many who use them incorrectly, referring to a family as the Jones’ or similar. Add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to refer to a family group, never an apostrophe.
Example 1: Happy New Year from the Smith’s! (Incorrect. Unless this is from the Smith’s dog or pet chinchilla, “Smiths” is the proper form)
Example 2: Happy Nothing Day from the Smiths! (Correct. And who knew there was such a thing as Nothing Day every January 16th?)
Happy Writing!