The possessive forms for "Travis" are Travis's (most common, recommended by Chicago/MLA/APA) and Travis' (used by AP Stylebook), with the choice often depending on which you'd pronounce with an extra "iz" sound, making Travis's generally preferred for clarity and style guide agreement.
This is Travis's house. (correct and sounds better) This is Travis' house. (correct but awkward-sounding)
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.
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'.
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.
Both are correct, although “s's” is preferred. “Marcus's” would be a singular possessive, not a plural. “Marcuses” is plural but not possessive.
Brooks' is the singular possessive form you should use when following AP Style. E.g., “Brooks' office is spacious.” Furthermore, Brooks's is also a singular possessive form, and you should use this form when following the Chicago Manual of Style. E.g., “Brooks's photography skills are impressive.”
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.
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”).
Davis' is the possessive plural for the noun.... . Kelle Millett that would be for one Davis. “Pamela Davis' daughter lives here.” But if there's more than one Davis, it's Davises and to make that possessive you could add the apostrophe after.
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.) Try 'The Morris Family', although Morrises would be correct.
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.
However, the Chicago Manual of Style and APA Publication Manual recommends adding an extra S after the S and apostrophe. Examples: Chris's lecture changed my perspective. I saw Travis's girlfriend today.
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.
With a name like “James,” there's some disagreement about how to form the possessive. Most style guides recommend following the standard rule for singular nouns and adding an apostrophe and an “s”: James's.
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. To indicate omitted letters, such as in contractions.
The different style guides disagree on whether to include the second s in a possessive (i.e., Dennis' or Dennis's). Below is a summary of the recommendations of some of the most regularly used style guides. Dennis' would be recommended by: AP style (commonly used in journalism) (Stylebook 2018, Section possessives)
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.
Regardless of your personal opinion on how it looks, the apostrophe is wrong for a simple plural. No ambiguity here. If you want to use Rodriguez's, you have to put an object after it and know that it belongs to only one person (ie, 'Rodriquez's Wedding' would be one person's wedding, not both of yours).
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'.
For decades, use '70s (with an apostrophe before the number for the missing "19") for contractions like "the '70s," and use 1970s (no apostrophe) for the full form or as an adjective (e.g., "1970s music"), while 70s (no apostrophe) is a common plural, but avoid 70's as it incorrectly suggests possession or pluralizes the number itself, not the decade.
An apostrophe replaces the word 'of' / 'belonging to'
Examples: The friend of Jane = Jane's friend. The uncle of Lisa = Lisa's uncle. The travel card belonging to the student = The student's travel card.
Furthermore, Chris's is usually considered the correct spelling in British English, which uses different style guides than American English. If you're writing in British English, or using an American style guide that requires an S after the apostrophe, you should write, “Let's go to Chris's house after school.”