LawProse Lesson #258: What’s the plural of Evans?

By Jason Warren / July 15, 2016

What’s the plural of Evans?

You have some friends, Bob and Sally Evans. As a couple, they are the __________. (How do you pluralize their last name?) Sometimes, you go to their house: that’s called the __________ house. (Can you make the plural possessive?) There, you see Bob __________ coin collection. (Make the singular possessive.) If you get those three blanks right, you’re a top one-percenter. Few people know how to handle these issues the way professional editors would. Before glancing below at the answers, commit yourself. Then see how you fared. Give it your best. ____________________ First blank: Evanses (NOT Evans’ or Evans’s). Second blank: Evanses’. Third blank: Evans’s (according to most style manuals) or Evans’ (according to The Associated Press Stylebook). Further reading: Garner, The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation 25, 30–32 (2016). Garner’s Modern English Usage 704, 712–13 (2016).

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