Grammar Tips
Getting It Write
Tricky Name Plurals
Making a plural of most words is straightforward--simply
add an "s." But it can be tricky to make a plural of a word that ends in
an "s" sound to begin with. This type of sound, called a sibilant, is
produced when a word ends in "s," "sh," "ch," "z," or "x." To pluralize
such a word, "es" should be added to the end. This seems obvious for most
nouns, but people generally get confused when pluralizing names that end
with a sibilant. In these cases, "es" at the end is the proper form.
For example, the plural of Williams is Williamses, the
plural of Knox is Knoxes, and the plural of Jones is Joneses.
Take note of one special exception for names that end in
"y." Instead of changing the "y" to an "i" and adding "es," the name keeps
the "y" at the end and simply adds an "s." For example, the plural of
Marley is Marleys and the plural of Berry is Berrys.
