# Best usage for a house/family sign: apostrophe or no? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889 "2008-01-17T17:32:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/1 "2008-01-17T17:32:25Z")
I doubt if there is a hard and fast answer to my question even though it is about grammar/punctuation, so I’m really polling y’all for opinions on how this should look. In my neighborhood, it’s common for homes to have a sign in front, perhaps above the mailbox, with either the name of the property (“Dun Row Min”) or the family (“Brown”). Sometimes the family name is made into a more descriptive phase like “The Browns” or “The Brown’s”. Since this is not a complete sentence, there must be some parts assumed, and what is assumed can affect the punctuation. If the part assumed is “The Browns [live here]”, then “Browns” is correct (plural). But if the part assumed is “[This is] The Brown’s [home]”, then “Brown’s” is correct (possessive), and although I would be inclined to word it “[This is] The Brown [home]”, I never see it just “The Brown”. So what is the best punctuation for a sign? Apostrophe or not? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/2 "2008-01-17T17:43:27Z")
Not. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/3 "2008-01-17T17:57:31Z")
Not. Not. Not. A thousand times not. > [@](#): > > But if the part assumed is “[This is] The Brown’s [home]”, then “Brown’s” is correct (possessive), and although I would be inclined to word it “[This is] The Brown [home]”, I never see it just “The Brown”. If your name is Brown, and there is only one of you, then it wouldn’t be “the Brown’s” home- unless you’re REALLY pretentious. It would be “Tim Brown’s Home,” which you would put on the sign, not, “The Brown’s.” If your name is Brown, and there are more than one of you, then you are “The Browns,” and your home is “The Browns’ Home,” not “The Brown’s Home.” An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’” Besides, “[This is] The Browns’ [Home]” is nothing I could ever see anyone reading into a sign. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/4 "2008-01-17T17:57:36Z")
“The Brown’s” is completely incorrect, unless only one Brown lives there. This is one of my biggest pet peeves: someone gets a sign PAINTED with “Brown’s”. So the question is: should it be " The Browns " or " The Browns’ "? The latter is more correct since you’re pointing out that it is the Browns’ house, not the Browns themselves. But it will confuse people so the former may be easier. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/5 "2008-01-17T17:58:51Z")
Let’s assume that the Brown household has at least two members, just to keep us on the same page. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/6 "2008-01-17T18:01:21Z")
Then see my first post. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/7 "2008-01-17T18:08:54Z")
Do you live in Cleveland? If so, then you might want to spell it out: “The Brown family’s home.” ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/8 "2008-01-17T18:29:13Z")
My mother got a ceramic snowman for Christmas that you’re supposed to stick a candle in. Carved on its belly? The Brown’s She was all proud of showing it off, and I blurted out it shouldn’t have an apostrophe. The look of death she gave me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/9 "2008-01-17T18:47:14Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] “The Brown’s” is completely incorrect, unless only one Brown lives there. This is one of my biggest pet peeves: someone gets a sign PAINTED with “Brown’s”. [/QUOTE] Even then, if only one Brown lives there, who the hell uses “the” in a sigular context unless they’re royalty or it’s a title. “Cellphone” makes sense to me, but “The Cellphone”… huh? “The King”… “The Messiah”… “The Boss”… Okay, fine. They are titles. But I’m not going to say, “Hi, I am the Cellphone!” ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/10 "2008-01-17T18:52:08Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] An apostrophe does not mean “Here comes an ‘S.’” [/QUOTE] This can not be repeated enough. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/11 "2008-01-17T19:16:26Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] “The King”… “The Messiah”… “The Boss”… Okay, fine. They are titles. But I’m not going to say, “Hi, I am the Cellphone!” [/QUOTE] Then how do you feel about My Documents, My Music, My Files or My Magic Places? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/12 "2008-01-17T19:22:53Z")
OTOH, I could envision a sign that said, literally, “This is the Brown’s place”. In that case (possessive), the apostrophe would be correct. It belongs to a family whose name is Brown. Brown’s dog, Brown’s car, Brown’s house. Converting that phrase to mostly understood, “[This is] the Brown’s [place]” would also be correct. As much as I dislike the misused apostrophe, it has its place (not “it’s” place). ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/13 "2008-01-17T19:25:00Z")
I hope that if enough English lovers/teachers/respecters pile on, maybe we can kill the apostrophe in those deplorable signs! Yes, dear **Musicat** , there is a hard, fast rule, and the rule is: No apostrophe. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/14 "2008-01-17T19:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] OTOH, I could envision a sign that said, literally, “This is the Brown’s place”. In that case (possessive), the apostrophe would be correct. It belongs to a family whose name is Brown. Brown’s dog, Brown’s car, Brown’s house. Converting that phrase to mostly understood, “[This is] the Brown’s [place]” would also be correct. [/QUOTE] But there’s more than one member of the Brown family, and all of them live at their place. Therefiore, it’s “the Browns’ [place]”. "Browns’ " is both plural and posessive. Saying, “the Brown family’s place” is different because then you’re using “Brown” to describe “family”, which is singular. Paging **Spoons** or **Muffin**! Urgent! Imminent apostrophe catastrophe! ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/15 "2008-01-17T19:36:46Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Then how do you feel about My Documents, My Music, My Files or My Magic Places? [/QUOTE] I’m a Mac user and don’t have to put up with such nonsense. 😉 In any case, I have no qualms with possessive pronouns, it the article “the” in front of a single person’s name that I think is weird. Like, “I’m not Cellphone… I’m THE Cellphone”. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/16 "2008-01-17T19:38:41Z")
Get a sign that states: I live here. Simple, safe for identity theft purposes, and accurate. You could use “We live here.” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/17 "2008-01-17T19:44:43Z")
[QUOTE= Musicat] OTOH, I could envision a sign that said, literally, “This is the Brown’s place”. In that case (possessive), the apostrophe would be correct. It belongs to a family whose name is Brown. Brown’s dog, Brown’s car, Brown’s house. Converting that phrase to mostly understood, “[This is] the Brown’s [place]” would also be correct. As much as I dislike the misused apostrophe, it has its place (not “it’s” place). [/QUOTE] You didn’t read my post at ALL, did you? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/18 "2008-01-17T19:47:32Z")
[QUOTE=Madd Maxx] Get a sign that states: I live here. Simple, safe for identity theft purposes, and accurate. You could use “We live here.” as well. [/QUOTE] Remember “A Clockwork Orange” with HOME in blue neon? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/19 "2008-01-17T20:03:47Z")
[QUOTE=Madd Maxx] You could use “We live here.” as well. [/QUOTE] If you’re an editor (or royalty), you could use “we” even if you live alone. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889/20 "2008-01-17T20:20:22Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] But there’s more than one member of the Brown family, and all of them live at their place. Therefiore, it’s “the Browns’ [place]”. "Browns’ " is both plural and posessive. [/quote] Why can’t it be a place belonging to each Brown? Then it would be Brown’s (if used possessively). Mrs. Brown, Mr. Brown and all the little Brownies. Why do they have to be taken collectively and not individually? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-usage-for-a-house-family-sign-apostrophe-or-no/433889.md?page=2)