# Settle a grammar question for us **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749 "2013-05-07T22:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/1 "2013-05-07T22:34:20Z")
My wife and I are having a disagreement over an invitation to a graduation that we received today. The letter was addressed to our last name as such The Simpson’s 742 Evergreen Terrace Springfield, USA For the purposes of this discussion, imagine our last name is Simpson. My wife looked at it and said “well…I guess we own our house…but this is wrong.” I said “no. The apostrophe is used correctly. The word ‘Residence’ is implied in this usage.” She wanted to take this to Facebook. I said there’s no way we’re arguing about this where the actual invitor could be reading it. So we bring it to you, anonymous Dopers! What say you? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/2 "2013-05-07T22:37:38Z")
100% Wrong. And not just because I’m the first answer, and therefore 100% of the poll. The letter is presumably addressed to you, the Simpsons, not to your residence. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/3 "2013-05-07T22:42:53Z")
Agree with **SpoilerVirgin** : the top line of an address is the person to whom the letter is addressed. Mr. Smith, 123 Bayview Street, Old Town NJ. If to a couple, it might to Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Together, they are the Smiths, and thus, The Smiths, 123 Bayview St., etc. If, as in Jolly England, your post office supported named houses, you might have something like The Simpsons, Bleak Regard, Old Town NJ. That would be kind of neat. Trinopus Plenilune San Diego CA ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/4 "2013-05-07T22:46:03Z")
Simpsons is correct. For his neighbor it would be the Flanderseses. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/5 "2013-05-07T22:48:17Z")
“The Simpsons” is correct, as the invitation is being sent to you, not to your house. Unless it’s the structure itself that’s being invited to the graduation, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/6 "2013-05-07T22:50:50Z")
Yep, The Simpsons. You are one Simpson; your wife is another Simpson. Together you are two Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/7 "2013-05-07T23:02:19Z")
I agree that The Simpsons is correct. Besides that, an apostrophe does not mean “Warning: Oncoming S!” (I have a button that says that.) If you wanted to write a shorter version of “the house belonging to the Simpsons”, it should be “the Simpsons’ house”. (Presumably, it belongs to both you and your wife.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/8 "2013-05-07T23:08:41Z")
Even if it were “the residence of the Simpsons,” it would be “The Simpsons’,” with the apostrophe after the -s. “The Simpson’s [residence]” would be for one Simpson and one Simpson only: Would that be you or your wife? Edit: **Dendarii Dame** made the point faster and better. ---
**Author:** ![\_3Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9e5f3/32.png) [@\_3Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_3Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/9 "2013-05-07T23:52:22Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Even if it were “the residence of the Simpsons,” it would be “The Simpsons’,” with the apostrophe after the -s. “The Simpson’s [residence]” would be for one Simpson and one Simpson only: Would that be you or your wife? Edit: **Dendarii Dame** made the point faster and better. Unless, of course, Enderw24 or his wife is The Simpson, running the clan in KC. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/10 "2013-05-08T00:03:53Z")
I’ve been a full-time freelance copyeditor for 18+ years. “The Simpsons” (no apostrophe) is correct. The letter is addressed to not one Simpson, but two Simpsons. Both of them. The Simpsons. If your surname were Rogers, the correct form would be “The Rogerses.” We have friends with a similar surname, and a mutual friend will say “We’re having dinner with the Rogers.” Only if you have other friends whose surname is Roger. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/11 "2013-05-08T00:15:23Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > If your surname were Rogers, the correct form would be “The Rogerses.” We have friends with a similar surname, and a mutual friend will say “We’re having dinner with the Rogers.” Only if you have other friends whose surname is Roger. On a pure technicality, for the subject case in the plural, both “Rogers” and “Rogerses” are correct in that both variants exist in common speech. The reason for this is that the name is, of course, just the fossilized possessive singular of the name “Roger”, and so technically is already “Roger’s” (though never written as such), and you’re forcing it into a new case. For a lot of speakers, it becomes an invariable noun (Mr. Rogers, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, with the Rogers, the Rogers’ Neighborhood, all with the same sound regardless of apostrophe placement), while for others, it has been reinterpreted as a new regular noun ending in -s in the singular (Mr. Rogers, Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood, The Rogerses, The Rogerses’ Neighborhood). Even style guides vary on this one. Chicago Style allows either choice, though it recommends the way you state above (which is what I do as well). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/12 "2013-05-08T00:23:29Z")
You and your wife are the Simpsons. Your house would be the Simpsons’ [place]. Simpson’s house is the singular form. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/13 "2013-05-08T00:28:24Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > “The Simpson’s [residence]” would be for one Simpson and one Simpson only: Would that be you or your wife? Yes, and this is one of my pet peeves! Don’t they teach possessive plurals in school any more? “The Simpson’s residence” = the residence of the Simpson. “My parent’s house” = the house of my parent. (Why not specify which one?) “The Cardinal’s first baseman” = the first baseman of the Cardinal. (His Eminence has a first baseman?) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/14 "2013-05-08T00:40:11Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I said “no. The apostrophe is used correctly. The word ‘Residence’ is implied in this usage.” Sorry to say, you are absolutely, positively, no question about it WRONG! **Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.** The letter is addressed to people, as in you and your family, not to the house. Do you routinely address stuff to "John Smith’s " (as in to John’s residence)? Of course not – you address it to John himself. You and your family are the Simpsons. Any apostrophe is totally uncalled for and totally incorrect. And if something were to designate the residence of the Simpsons, it would be “The Simpsons’ Place,” with the apostrophe after the final “s” to indicate a plural possessive. Kiss your wife, tell her you love her, and tell her she is most definitely right about this. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/15 "2013-05-08T01:21:33Z")
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo You’re saying it could go either way then? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/16 "2013-05-08T02:05:59Z")
Jumps up and down, screams, smashes the walls and windows with a (reproduction) Frankish battle-axe, takes the Lord’s name in vain, falls about gasping, turns pink. Yeah, pretty much. Language is for communication. If you know what’s meant, it’s working. However…by indulging in heterodox construction, you imperil the stability of the language and thus the ability of future generations to communicate effectively. Think of the children! And, in a nod to Gaudere’s Law, in composing this message, I made at least two grammatical errors. I _think_ I’ve fixed 'em… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/17 "2013-05-08T02:23:24Z")
As noted by others, “The Simpson’s” is correct if and only if used to refer to the residence on a single person known as The Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/18 "2013-05-08T02:33:19Z")
“So, honey, what did the people on your message board say?” “Oh darn, I forgot to ask.” ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/19 "2013-05-08T03:44:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yes, and this is one of my pet peeves! Don’t they teach possessive plurals in school any more? The other choice not listed in the poll would be The Simpsons’s It is incorrect for the same reason that Simpson’s is incorrect but it is an [acceptable plural possessive](http://seiglefamily.com/gqfaq.html#apostrophe). ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749/20 "2013-05-08T04:05:05Z")
It’s not really a grammar question, either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settle-a-grammar-question-for-us/657749.md?page=2)