# Words that are commonly (and incorrectly) pluralized or "apostrophed" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 14, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251 "2021-06-14T16:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/41 "2021-06-15T02:03:35Z")
This is the mailbox of the Smith’s House would be correct. Home of the Smith’s would be incorrect. i agree. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/42 "2021-06-15T02:19:34Z")
Perhaps the owner is a blacksmith, in which case the spelling would be correct. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/43 "2021-06-15T02:23:30Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > This is the mailbox of the Smith’s House would be correct. Technically and grammatically, yes. But I have my serious doubts that anybody who puts The Smith’s on their mailbox is saying “Hey, this mailbox belongs to the Smith family.” Instead, they are saying “Hey, this is where the Smith family lives.” And that’s why it’s wrong. @Smapti not many blacksmiths in the neighborhood these days! ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/44 "2021-06-15T02:28:11Z")
they are not saying this where Smiths family live they are saying this is where the Smith family lives and this is our house and this is our mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/45 "2021-06-15T02:42:50Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > ok i seem to be a minority on this. If two cousins own a beauty supply store why isn’t it Two Cousin’s Beauty Supply. Because it should be Two Cousins’ Beauty Supply ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/46 "2021-06-15T02:53:57Z")
ok i was wrong on that one, but i still maintain the the Smith’s mailbox is ok ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/47 "2021-06-15T02:58:39Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > Anyhoo, i tend to think that kroger owns a grocery store, hence it kroger’s grocery store. Ref the posts just above, I’m not piling on; this just happened to be when I got to this thread. The issue here is that Kroger was once a small company named for its founder. When they had a couple of stores, calling them Kroger’s stores might not have been wrong although it may not have been the legal name of his business. When they’re a giant corporation ($120+B in annual sales, not quite one half _million_ employees), calling it “Kroger’s” is about as silly as calling General Motors “GM’s”. Yes, every GM factory belongs to GM and every Kroger food processing plant and store belongs to Kroger. It would be appropriate to say > That store over there belongs to the Kroger Company. It is Kroger’s store. But the name of the store is “Kroger”. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/48 "2021-06-15T03:05:05Z")
I want to throw numbers into the mix. “1970’s” makes me want to ask “1970’s what?” It drives me buggy but it is still quite common to see 90’s, instead of '90s. The second one is correct when referring to years. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/49 "2021-06-15T03:06:42Z")
what store am i going to? Kroger’s store, which has a big sign on it saying Kroger. the store the Kroger corporation owns. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/50 "2021-06-15T03:27:04Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > 1960’s ies replaced with 's ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/51 "2021-06-15T03:47:52Z")
Unless you would refer to the Smith family as “the Smith”, their mailbox is not “the Smith’s mailbox”. It is either “the Smith family’s mailbox” or “the Smiths’ mailbox”. (It would be perfectly acceptable just to right “Smith” on the malbox, in much the way that you might see “Kroger” written on one of Kroger’s stores.) ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/52 "2021-06-15T03:53:06Z")
All of the family are named Smith. They are not named Smiths. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/53 "2021-06-15T03:59:54Z")
And Kroger is the name of the store, which you acknowledge is owned by Kroger’s. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/54 "2021-06-15T04:18:45Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > All of the family are named Smith. They are not named Smiths. That’s why it’s the Smith family, not the Smiths family. But note that it’s the Smith family; it’s not the Smith. Which is why their mailbox is the Smith family’s mailbox; not the Smith’s mailbox. The members of the Smith family can collectively be referred to as the Smiths. And, it follows, the mailbox they share can be called the Smiths’ mailbox. But “the Smith’s mailbox” means “the mailbox of the Smith”. And, unless you are talking about a mailbox belonging to an individual who is a smith by occupation, and are not too particular about capitalisation, that has to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/55 "2021-06-15T04:19:05Z")
I am going to Bob house. I am going to Bob’s house ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/56 "2021-06-15T04:20:37Z")
I am going to Kroger. I am going to Kroger’s. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/57 "2021-06-15T04:21:22Z")
> [@oldoaktree](#): > > And Kroger is the name of the store, which you acknowledge is owned by Kroger’s. No. Kroger is the name of the corporation. A store belonging to Kroger is “Kroger’s store”, which can colloquially be shortened to “Kroger’s”. ---
**Author:** ![oldoaktree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ccd318/32.png) [@oldoaktree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldoaktree)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/58 "2021-06-15T04:24:42Z")
hence it is not incorrectly pluralized or apostrophed to say or write “i am going to Kroger’s” ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/59 "2021-06-15T04:33:06Z")
I agree. “Kroger’s”, to refer to a store, is fine. “The Smith’s mailbox” is not. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251/60 "2021-06-15T06:35:05Z")
I’m surprised nobody has said **LEGO** yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-commonly-and-incorrectly-pluralized-or-apostrophed/944251.md?page=4)