You’re Pluralizing It Wrong

Grammar is a taxing road to traverse, thanks to contradictions, traditions, nuances—and possibly trauma from cranky English teachers. Nobody likes to be corrected, but since you’re here, let’s embark on a quick linguistic lesson on phrases, words, and even letters that often get pluralized incorrectly.

The general rule of thumb is that apostrophes signal possession, not plurality. (Of course there’s an exception. See #2.) Reviewing the following tips can help you confidently move toward superior syntax, which happens to be the only kind of tax that editors enjoy.

When clocks shift forward an hour each March, it’s a rough adjustment. But what’s even more jarring than waking up an hour early? Most people putting an extra s on the word saving. Its official name is daylight saving time. Remember, you put your money in a savings account, but when you move your clocks forward in the spring, you are saving time.

It may be surprising to hear that there are even disputations in the editing world. Here’s one that has grammar gurus divided: Is it “do’s and don’ts” or “dos and don’ts”? We—along with The Chicago Manual of Style—prefer the latter, but they both look awkward, don’t they? The only time an apostrophe forms a plural is when you pluralize single lowercase letters, such as in mind your p’s and q’s or three x’s in a row.

You’ll likely receive a few Christmas cards this year in which the last names include apostrophes: “Love, the Cannon’s.” Every time this happens, an angel loses its wings. What’s the correct way then? “Love, the Cannons” or “Love, the Millers.” However, the rule changes if the last name ends with s, x, z, ch, or sh. In those cases, add an es: the Bosches or the Williamses. Thankfully, you can also avoid it altogether by signing “the Williams family.”

You likely inherited new family members when you got married, so how do you refer to them if there are multiple? People often say sister-in-laws, but that’s a grammar misdemeanor. The correct term is sisters-in-law. Here’s an easy way to remember: put the s at the beginning, since the in-laws came at the beginning of your marriage. For example, brothers-in-law and mothers-in-law (and bless your heart if you have more than one of those).

Let’s say you’re a missionary and have a spectacular day contacting people in the field. Your next email home begins: “The other day I handed out 10 . . .” Wait, is it Books of Mormon or Book of Mormons? The answer might surprise you: neither! Church style recommends using “copies of the Book of Mormon” when referring to multiples. This rule is a little tricky (and wordy) but, like scripture mastery verses, worth remembering.