Let’s tackle plurals and possessives for proper nouns ending in sibilants! Gulp! Recently, someone asked me, “Which is correct for the plural of my last name – Strauss’s or Strausses or Strauss’???? And what about possessives?”
First, let’s discuss sibilants. Merriam-Webster’s defines a sibilant as having, containing, or producing the sound of or a sound resembling that of the s or the sh in sash. It says sibilant is a present participle of sibilare, which is to “hiss, whistle, of imitative origin.”
Chicago Manual of Style says (6.7) The PLURALS of most nouns are formed by the addition of “s” or “es.” When the noun ends in soft “ch” or in “s, sh, j,x, or z,” the plural inflection is “es.” So it appears the plural of your name is “Strausses.” The Strausses live there. The Strusses are going to Rome. The Strausses have guests.
Skilled at marketing, but not at spelling? How about punctuation? Capitalization? Some of the most brilliant people in history couldn’t spell well, but they didn’t let that stop them from reaching their goals. And today, it doesn’t stop Charles Schwab or writer Stephen J. Cannell. Why should you be different?
What do I mean by words that obfuscate?
Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to say, “The corporation had their records audited”? This is a subject-verb agreement issue. Is a corporation a single entity or a group of people?