Brilliant Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 My mom-in-law died this summer, and while emptying the house, neither of the other brothers wanted a couple of very cute, retro "Welcome" signs with the family name on them. I loved them so we hauled them home in our suitcases. :) But, I have a dilemma. Both of them say, "The Smith's" with an apostrophe. There's no way to remove the apostrophes. Can I hang these without killing kittens? I know we are not "the smith's", plural. But can the sign indicate "the Smith's (implied) home"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Well, in a clan your dh might be The Smith, and it would be *his* home. You could consider them historical in nature and let it go on that basis. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Well, in a clan your dh might be The Smith, and it would be *his* home. You could consider them historical in nature and let it go on that basis. ;) Oh, no. I see what you mean...if I want it to be possessive it should really be The Smiths' (plural and possessive). Ugh. Well, I like the signs so they are going up, kittens or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I just want to say that I don't know the answer. I would think that if it was "the Smiths' home," showing possesion by the members of the family, then the apostrophe should be AFTER the S, not before it. Otherwise, it would be the awkward unless there was only one Smith that needed the designation of "the" like "the cat's bed." There is only one cat so it is *the* cat's bed. Hmmmmm. My landlord had a sign above the door. It said, "The Xaviers" (not their last name, btw). That seems to say people with the last name Xavier live here and there is more than one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I just want to say that I don't know the answer. I would think that if it was "the Smiths' home," showing possesion by the members of the family, then the apostrophe should be AFTER the S, not before it. ... Yes, I just noticed this after Mrs. Mungo posted. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I know that I'm going to sound completely uneducated here, but I'm going to ask anyways. ;) It should actually be Smiths', correct? Because it's both plural and showing possession, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Dang it! I was too slow. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 My parents got us a Christmas sign with "The Lastname's" on it. I'm still trying to figure out how I can remove the apostrophe without making it look stupid. It drives me crazy every time I see it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 My parents got us a Christmas sign with "The Lastname's" on it. I'm still trying to figure out how I can remove the apostrophe without making it look stupid. It drives me crazy every time I see it, though. Oh, poor you! I've wanted to go to our neighbors' sign under cover of darkness and smudge some wood putty in their apostrophe. When the most recent ungrammatical name sign went up in our neighborhood (we seem to have a rash of them), my son commented, "Another dead kitten!" So at least there's that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 When the most recent ungrammatical name sign went up in our neighborhood (we seem to have a rash of them), my son commented, "Another dead kitten!" So at least there's that. Oh, I hope I'm not your neighbor. I don't want to upset your son! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Can I rabbit trail with a question of my own? I was reading with my boys today and came across the word, "ma'am." I wonder what it was a contraction of. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Oh, I hope I'm not your neighbor. I don't want to upset your son! :tongue_smilie: Actually, he says it with a certain amount of grim amusement. But if you find putty in your sign, er...definitely wasn't us! Can I rabbit trail with a question of my own? I was reading with my boys today and came across the word, "ma'am." I wonder what it was a contraction of. Any ideas? I always thought it was "madam." ETA: I thoroughly messed up the multiquoting. Probably the universe punishing me for being so judgy about neighbors' punctuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I always thought it was "madam." ETA: I thoroughly messed up the multiquoting. Probably the universe punishing me for being so judgy about neighbors' punctuation. Duh!!! :001_rolleyes: Sometimes I am such a dork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I know that I'm going to sound completely uneducated here, but I'm going to ask anyways. ;) It should actually be Smiths', correct? Because it's both plural and showing possession, right? The Smiths would be correct, as in "The Smiths live here." The Smiths' Home would be correct. The Smiths'...doesn't kill kittens, exactly, but it is more correct than The Smith's. Maybe the apostrophe can be painted out, IYKWIM. There would be a space, but at least it would be just a space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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