How to write family name: "The Hess's", "The Hesses", The Hess'"?

[Guest]

This is really a grammatical question: How do I write a family name when
referring to the entire family if it ends with an "s" or a "z"??? Example:
"The Sanchez's", "The Sanchezes", "The Sanchezs"??? Or "The Hess's", "The
Hesses", "The Hess'"? Any English teachers out there? PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the quick response!!! But what about last name "Bushofsky"?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Bushofskys. Or avoid the issue entirely by saying Hess family, Sanchez
family.

 

[Guest]

A quick codicile to this: if your referring to the possive, it should be an
apostrophe following the "s": the Hess' Christmas greeting. If you are
referring to the plural, Hesses is correct.

Proper nouns ending in y always form the plural simply by adding s, even
when the y is preceded by a consonant: Bushofskys.

 

[Guest]

PERFECT ANSWER! Exactly what I needed to know. I can't thank you enough!!!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Possessive plural would be Hesses'. Singular would be Hess's. But a singular
Hess is not "the Hess" unless he's the chieftain of a Scottish clan.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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