Names: plurals and possession.

1. Plurals

In general, to pluralize names, we follow the same rules as for pluralizing other nouns.

For almost all name endings, we simply add a plural “s” to the singular name:

All the Christophers in the team

All the Janes in the team

All the Janices in the team

All the Smiths in the team

However, when the name ends in “s”, we add “es” to the singular name:

All the Joneses in the team

All the Agneses in the team

All the Travises in the team

It has, however, become the custom NOT to add an “es” to the end of classical Greek or Biblical names which end in “s”. So, if we were looking at an ancient Athenian telephone book or an ancient Hebrew class list, we might refer to

All the Socrates in the book, rather than all the Socrateses. or

All the Moses in the Fourth Form. Not all the Moseses.

When a name ends in “y”, we do NOT replace the “y” with “ies” for a plural. So,

The Kennedys, and not the Kennedies.

NOTE: WE NEVER PLURALIZE BY USING AN APOSTROPHE. NEVER.

2. Possession

The general rule is to follow, exactly, the rules for possessives of other nouns. Hence, we have:

Christopher’s team

The Christophers’ team

Mrs Smith’s team

The Smiths’ team

When Biblical or Classical Greek individuals whose names end in “s” own something, we do not add an “s” after the possessive apostrophe. Thus

Sophocles wrote Sophocles’ plays, and

Moses led Moses’ people.

How about when two names are involved in the ownership?

Blake and Turner’s store (with one apostrophe, that on the second or last name) refers to a store owned by BOTH Blake and Turner. If, together, they own several stores, we would have

Blake and Turner’s stores.

Blake’s and Turner’s stores indicates that the ownership is not joint ownership. They both, but separately, own stores.

Some thoughts on a wretched little word, USED.

Not in its simple usage, I USED THE CAR YESTERDAY.

I am thinking of when it is doing the job of a weird auxiliary verb: I USED TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS.

It is odd; no language I can find mirrors this usage. That is not the problem, though. It adds to the richness of the language to have these quirks.

The problem arises when one wants to play around and impart further nuances of meaning, and poor old USED just seems incapable of coping. Well, it seems to cope, until you analyse what you are doing with the words. If you are talking, as distinct from writing, you can mumble to camouflage the confusion. If you are writing, you need to sort the matter out.

First and most simply, the negative:

A: I USED TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS.

B: OH, I DIDN’T. (Expand? I DIDN’T USED TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS. Doesn’t sound correct; how about I DIDN’T USE TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS? No! Not possible!)

The only form that makes sense to me would be I USED NOT TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS.

Secondly, the interrogative:

DID YOU USED TO ENJOY TENNIS? or

DID YOU USE TO ENJOY TENNIS?

no and no. So,

USED YOU TO ENJOY PLAYING TENNIS?

Well, at least the bits make sense: USED YOU and USED NOT seem to have a grammatical logic to them, although they do feel slightly pedantic. For me, though, grammatical logic is a greater plus than pedantry is a minus.

Can we call upon some authority to assist? There is a noticeable reluctance from most authorities to become embroiled: understandable but not helpful. Fowler’s Modern English Usage seems not to mention the matter at all. (Perhaps in his day, people used not to employ this usage?) The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Clarendon Press Oxford, 1996 (Ed: R W Burchfield) is helpful and interesting: “The matter is much more complicated when used to (less commonly, and usu in colloq contexts, use to) is used in the sense ‘did or had in the past (but no longer) as a customary practice’.” Burchfield refers to Eric Jorgensen in English Studies, 69 (1988) but I have not yet located that article. Burchfield as type (e): “(Only in very informal contexts) With do-support in negative and/or interrogative constructions: He didn’t use to wear gloves – P.Cheney, 1964; What time did she used to return? – L Thomas, 1972; It didn’t use to be that way,’ Manuel said – New Yorker, 1986.

Sorry, Burchfield, Cheney, Thomas and New Yorker: I don’t like any of ‘em.

So then there is type (f): (Now regarded as somewhat formal) Without do-support in negative and/or interrogative constructions: You usen’t to be like that – A. Christie, 1964; The Mistress usedn’t to sleep well at night – A Christie n.d.

Surely the second of these makes more sense than the first, in view of the basic USED TO form, and we should not be fazed by the fact we do not pronounce the “d”: many are the letters which appear in the writing but are not pronounced in the speaking.

Finally, a link. The British Council shows an enviable certainty in its website for learners of English:

‘used to + infinitive’

We use ‘used to’ to talk about things that happened in the past – actions or states – that no longer happen now.

• She used to be a long distance runner when she was younger.
• I used to eat meat but I became a vegetarian 5 years ago.

The negative is ‘didn’t use to’ and questions are formed with ‘Did you use to …?’

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/%E2%80%98used-infinitive%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98beget-used-to%E2%80%99  (link as at 1 July, 2013)

I envy the certainty but I dispute the assertion!

The closeness in sound of INSTANTS and INSTANCE leads many people into marshy territory. It is useful to recall the route-meanings of the words in order to attempt extraction from, or avoidance of, the marshes. 

USING THE APOSTROPHE.
WHO’S TO KNOW WHETHER IT’S A SITUATION WHICH REQUIRES APOSTROPHES?
Should it be WHO’S or WHOSE?
Should it be IT’S or ITS?
Should it be APOSTROPHES or APOSTROPHES’ or APOSTROPHE’S?
And, by the way, should it be REQUIRE’S?
When used correctly, apostrophes indicate one of two things:
1. Possession
2. Abbreviation
They should never be used to show a plural. Never.
1. Possession These can be sub-divided into two major situations.
a) When the thing or person which possesses something else is singular.
b) When there are several things or people which possess something.

a) Singular possessor or owner (only nouns, not pronouns. For pronouns, see below )
The child’s toy (The toy which the child owns)
My aunt’s house (The house which my aunt possesses)
The book’s cover (The cover which the book possesses)
b) Plural possessor or owner. (These can also be sub-divided.)
i. When the plural possessor or owner is made plural with an “s”.
ii. When the plural possessor or owner is made plural in an irregular way.

i. Plural made by adding “s” at the end of the singular word
The books’ covers (the covers of – or possessed by – the books)
The walls’ surfaces (the surfaces of the walls)
My credit cards’ limits (the limits of my credit cards)
The girls’ team (the team owned by the girls)
ii. Plural formed in irregular manner
The children’s noise
The men’s complaints
The women’s image
The people’s welfare

BUT, DO NOT USE AN APOSTROPHE for these forms of POSSESSION
Where the possessor is his/hers/its/ours/yours/theirs
This book is hers
This book is his
This car is ours
This house is yours
Of all the suggestions, I prefer theirs
Its effect was felt over a large area.
2. Abbreviation
There are two main types of abbreviation
a) Pronoun + part of the verb To Be or the verb To Have
I’m
I’ll
I’ve
I’d
We’re
We’ll
We’re
You’re (This is a tricky one; NOT TO BE CONFUSED with YOUR!)
You’ll
You’ve
You’d
He’s/ She’s
He’d/She’d
He’ll/ She’ll
Let’s
b) Part of verb To Be or verb To Have + “not”
Isn’t
Aren’t
Hasn’t
Haven’t
Hadn’t
Couldn’t
Shouldn’t
Wouldn’t
Mightn’t
Won’t
Can’t

BACK TO THE PROHIBITION: DON’T TRY TO MAKE PLURALS BY ADDING APOSTROPHES.
The danger mainly lies with words where the singular ends in a vowel, especially an “O”, (tomato – tomatoes, not tomato’s and not tomatos’; potato – potatoes, soprano – sopranos. But let’s add apostrophe – apostrophes, not apostrophe’s and not apostrophes’.) Because of the common error of greengrocers’ signs advertising “tomato’s”, this is often referred to as the “greengrocer’s apostrophe”. However, many greengrocers use apostrophes (not apostrophe’s!) impeccably and, sadly, many more non-greengrocers become horribly tangled up in their uncertainty about the apostrophe’s correct use.