We use an apostrophe to create plural forms in two limited situations: for pluralized letters of the alphabet and when we are trying to create the plural form of a word that refers to the word itself. Right: The Smiths also want a gerbil. Michael definition is - one of the four archangels named in Hebrew tradition. To show possession of a whole family: Add -es or -s to write the family’s last name in plural form. Add an apostrophe at the end to show possession. According to a recent tweet from Lotus PR (promoting an new podcast, links available at the bottom of this press release), the folks in Hethel issued a directive in the late 1960s that claimed the plural of Lotus is Lotus.Like fish, sheep, bison, hovercraft, or moose, the official claim is that it's the same word both ways. Please tell Annie and Mary’s mother that they’ll be late getting home from school. The earliest known abbreviation for microphone dates back to the 1920’s and in that instance was written as “mike”. Don’t use apostrophes when you mean to make last names plural. The plural form of party is parties. Find more words! Follow us on Twitter @tao_of_grammar. To my dismay, I found that according to Microsoft’s style guide and some other technical sources, OSs is the standard plural of OS. If the possessor is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, you don’t need to add an apostrophe to show possession. 3. Plurals and Apostrophes. The Whole Family’s Last Name. Mike and Amanda’s new loft apartment is really neat. For names that end in ch, s, sh, x, and z, add -es to make them plural. Plural of "Head of Department" can be simply created: just add the suffix "s" to the word "head" and you will get "heads", then introduce it before the rest to obtain "heads of (the) department". Dig Deeper on Writing for Business. Here we also should italicize this "word as word," but not the 's ending that belongs to it. Is it BIOS' BIOSs BIOSes They are the three I have seen used on the internet and in my searches on Google (I didn't spend too long though, just a couple of minutes while waiting fo rthe phone, any more and ot would have become a little sad), but does anyone know what the plural of BIOS actually is? *There is an exception to this rule: If your last name ends in ch but is pronounced with a hard /k/ sound, like the word monarch, add only an -s rather than -es. What is the plural of BIOS? Another word for. Secondly, where does the apostrophe go in plural possessive? The plural of anecdote is not data. While the plural of anecdote is not data, gingerly reconstructed biography catches the individual who otherwise falls through the statistical grid. To recap, usually if the noun is singular, the apostrophe will go before the s, but if the noun happens to be plural, the apostrophe will go after the s. And that's how you form a plural possessive. Also in 1995 Sally Scully of San Francisco State University employed the adage within an article in the “Journal of Social History”: 6. I don’t like it, but it is not up to me. For most names, add an -s to make them plural. Wrong: The Smith’s also want a gerbil. If you mean a number of respective departments, repeat the operation about the word "department" to get eventually "heads of departments". This held true for several decades until 1961 when Al Berkman recorded the usage of “mic” in his “Singers’ Glossary of Show Business Jargon.” From that time onward, mic began to garner a steady following. & Rakim, I Know You Got Soul Picture a mic, the stage is empty A beat like this might tempt me To pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train; Verb mic (plural mics) Alternative form of mike (“ microphone ”) 1987, Eric B.