It depends on the style guide, but generally, for singular possessive nouns ending in 's' like Lewis, you can use Lewis's (adding 's') or Lewis' (just an apostrophe), with the latter often preferred for formal names, especially if it sounds awkward with the extra 's'. Both "Lewis's" (e.g., C.S. Lewis's trilemma) and "Lewis'" (e.g., Lewis' Office) are seen, but consistency is key.
When a common noun is plural and ends in s, add only an apostrophe. When proper names end in s (whether singular or plural), add only an apostrophe. Use Lewis University's, the University's or Lewis' when showing possession in a sentence. Never use Lewis's.
If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common.
Assuming the family's last name is "Lewis" and you're asking for the plural of it, it would be "Lewises." Lewis' is the possessive form of plural Lewises. Long story short, you can rarely use an apostrophe to make something plural, and really never with a noun.
Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive form of the name Lucas, but style guides differ; Lucas's (adding 's) is often preferred for clarity and by some U.S. guides (like MLA), while Lucas' (just an apostrophe) is also common, especially in British English or for classical names, with both being acceptable for singular names ending in 's'.
Difficult family names
Remember the basic rule: don't try to make a plural with an apostrophe. Everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses (add –es to form the plural). The form Jones's (with an apostrophe) refers to something that one of the Jones family members owns.
Both Chris's (apostrophe + s) and Chris' (apostrophe only) are acceptable for the singular possessive of "Chris," depending on the style guide, but Chris's is often preferred for clarity and follows traditional rules, while Chris' is used by some (like AP Style) to avoid the double 's' sound. For consistency, choose one style and stick with it, as both show possession for a single person named Chris.
It's Lopez's for singular possession (e.g., Lopez's car) and Lopezes' for plural possession (e.g., the Lopezes' house), but you can also use just an apostrophe for singular names ending in 's' or 'z' (e.g., Lopez' car) or rephrase to avoid the issue entirely by saying the Lopez family.
To show possession using an apostrophe, add 's for individuals (“Smith's car”) and just the apostrophe after the s for plurals (“the Smiths' car,” “the Martinezes' dog”). By convention, names from classical mythology and the Bible ending in s show possession with the apostrophe only (“Jesus' teachings”).
The possessive would be either Davis' (singular) or Davises' (plural), e.g., Tim Davis' car or the Davises' holiday plans.
As a corollary to that, a singular noun that ends in 's' could either attract the apostrophe alone or an apostrophe that is succeeded by 's'. This reinforces the appropriateness of: James'/James's wallet, Julius'/Julius's singlet and Thomas'/Thomas's girlfriend.
Both James' and James's are grammatically correct.
Certain academic writing styles prefer one version over the other, but it doesn't matter which one you use in your regular, written English.
An apostrophe and "s" after her name, just like always, even though it looks a little clunky: Jess's pencils are sharp. For those who do not like the look of so many "s", you can eliminate the "s" after the apostrophe to make a cleaner possessive: Jess' pencils are sharp.
One does NOT use an apostrophe to denote plurals: apostrophe denotes possessive. Possessive would be Morris's or Morris' (singular, as if Morris was a forename) or The Morrises' (as if Morris was a family surname and something belonged to all of them.)
You could write “Mr. Ross's book” or “Mr. Ross' book.” However, it is the norm today to skip the additional “s” and write “Mr. Ross' book” or “Paris' dog.” This is true with names that end in an “s.” It's not true for names that don't end in an “s,” such as Helen.
Both Lucas's and Lucas' are generally considered correct for the possessive form of the name Lucas, but style guides differ; Lucas's (adding 's) is often preferred for clarity and by some U.S. guides (like MLA), while Lucas' (just an apostrophe) is also common, especially in British English or for classical names, with both being acceptable for singular names ending in 's'.
To form the possessive of a proper noun ending in an s or z sound, some people use apostrophe + s, as in Perez's and Burns's, and others prefer an apostrophe alone, as in Perez' and Burns's.
If you're writing for yourself just chose the form you prefer. In all cases the key will be to apply the style consistently. So for example write "Marcus' dog" and "Gus' cat" OR write "Marcus's dog" and "Gus's cat," but avoid mixing (EX: "Marcus' dog" and "Gus's cat").
Curtis's is the correct way to say that something belongs to Curtis, since Curtis is singular. If a noun is plural you would using the trailing apostrophe to indicate the possessive.
For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. The first option is more common. When pronouncing a possessive name, we add the sound /z/ to the end of the name.
Women's. Because 'women' is already plural, and is possessive. Ergo, you just add the apostrophe 's'.
It's the plural form of the word "lawyer".
The Associated Press Stylebook recommends just an apostrophe: It's Tennessee Williams' best play. But most other authorities endorse 's: Williams's. Williams's means “belonging to Williams.” It is not the plural form of Williams.
You cannot just add an apostrophe, as that will refer to a family named “Hasting” or “Jone.” Once you have made the name plural, you will be able to add an apostrophe to show the proper possession. Incorrect: The Hastings' new car. Correct: The Hastinges' new car. Incorrect: The Jones' new house.