Otherwise, removing the whole ending [aj] yields the name of founder or place of origin, as in Lekaj - aj = Lek(ë). Learn More. The Welsh county of Montgomeryshire is apparently called after him. Anonymous, interesting to see you're so unequivocal about what's 'right' and so convinced that others 'should know better'! @DougWarren: Well, I don't think it matters which way Kt_mae spells the family name. Which is correct? ... What if the end of my last name normally functions as an irregular noun? Hekter Hairfoot McGlammery I’m not using it possessively, just referring to both of them such as “The Murphy’s are a nice couple. Forget Word, Firefox doesn't like either of them either, but the far superior spell check in Google docs, which is contextually based, accepts both. It's your name to do with as you please. For others, add 's': 'the Carters,' 'the McCoys,' 'the Mondales. Singulars ending in y become ies in plural if a consonant is before the suffix. @Warsaw Will – Oops, I sure did. However, the singular masculine or feminine definitive article, depending upon the name, article gets changed to the plural definitive article. Toms, Dicks, and Harrys the Jones family, pl. Special cases: some plurals just have to be learnt. We had another good one to contend with a while back: "faculty(s)" of all the schools. Permalink Nov-01-2013. And while there's an 1859 book "Memorials of the Montgomeries, earls of Eglinton" the Wikipedia entry on Clan Montgomery shows the coat of arms of the Montgomerys, Earls of Eglinton. That is, instead of saying "her majesty's" or "her majestys," writers would render the possessive as "her majesties" (plural form, no apostrophe). Wow! Most nouns ending in s are pluralized by adding es. 17 votes Then there's H. Noel Williams, who used "Montgommery" for Gabriel de Lorges, accidental slayer of Henri II, but for the life of me I cannot find where that spelling came from. Report Abuse. @Hekter Hairfoot McGlammery - I don't doubt you, but I thought we were more interested in spelling here than in genealogy. taken from - http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm, 13 votes Normally in English, I reflexively change the "y" to an "ies" when pluralizing words in this form, but as a proper noun, I'm not sure this is the right thing to do. Permalink So I am writing a historical novel, does this govern how I write the last name of my character when referring to his family: Montgomery. The final step is a reminder for you to resist temptation. Short story about a man who meets his wife after he's already married her, because of time travel. If the common noun ends with a consonant + “y” or “qu” + “y” , remove the “y” and add “ies”. Submit your question here. Unless you want to make your last name possessive, there aren't any circumstances where you would need to add an apostrophe. Words for nationalities that end in -i get an -s (Afghanis, Israelis). Personal names are again an exception: the plural of Mary is Marys. 2 votes 5 votes therefore, if it's a consonant before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 'ies'. How to prevent pictures from being downloaded by right-clicking on them or Inspecting the web page? English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Learn where to insert apostrophes to make last names plural. If your last name feels really confusing, ending with a ‘ys,’ like in “Mays” or “Humphreys,” don’t panic—the rule is always the same. the rule has always been that the plural form of a noun ending in 'y', whether it's a name or not, will depend on whether there is a vowel or a consonant before the 'y'. These rules mean you should write out any last name in full, whether it’s Williams or Garcia, and simply tack something onto the end—again, no apostrophe necessary. First let’s figure out how to make family names plural. so, for example, the plural of a word like 'boy' is 'boys' because it's a vowel 'o' before the 'y'. The members of the Johnson and Smith families, for instance, are the Johnsons and the Smiths, not the Johnson’s and the Smith’s. Most nouns ending in -y like "company" are made plural by replacing the -y with -ies, thus "companies". you don’t change the base spelling. Exceptions include 'Alleghenies' and 'Rockies.' city – cities. As for the Montgommery spelling, I think it's the case that there was a lot of inconsistency in the spelling of names in the 'old days'. Unfortunately, according to the rules of this site, this Question has to be marked as a duplicate. Report Abuse. Any (predominantly Polish!) Regardless of the rules, I prefer the "ys" for pluralization. The Smiths, or The Ramones. so if it's a vowel before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 's'. Last names ending in s are no different. So day becomes days, but spy becomes spies. the Daley family → the Daleys. Making Last Names Plural When They End in s (or sh, ch, z, or x) The name Williams is tougher because it ends with s. Names (and all other nouns, for that matter) that end in sibilants (that is, the sounds s, sh, ch, z, or x) are made plural by the addition of es. and btw, james, "y" is not a semi-vowel in "day" it's a silent sound (the vowel sound in the syllable is carried by the preceding "a" and not the "y" which has no sound in this case). It only takes a minute to sign up. I'm going to go with either "The Leonelis seized the opportunity" or the Leoneli family members or something like that if I don't think it alters the piece too much. @MBS - Forget my last comment. Nouns and verbs are sometimes plural. Your sister-in-law can do it her way, and you can do it your way. Did Gaiman and Pratchett troll an interviewer who thought they were religious fanatics? name that ends in an i; for argument's sake, let's say Warski. Good catch, forgive. Advertisement. Thanks for listing the rule behind the correct plural surname. http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=the+Quarterlys%2Cthe+Quarterlies&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cthe%20Quarterlies%3B%2Cc0, could be avoided by: ".... you will receive four issues of the SGS Quarterly this year. For most names, add an -s to make them plural. So I took to the internet to see what it had to say. Some of the worksheets for this concept are Plurals nouns and verbs ending in y, Plural rules 3 and 4 plural rule 3 one baby ies, Adding an to words that end in y, Plural nouns, The y rule, Plural rule one plural rule two, Have fun teaching, Plural nouns. I write for a legal publication and my wife has written for the AP, and both of our employers emphasize(d) that we write for the masses, ie., for a fifth-grade education level (this was more appalling to me years ago, but it fails to amaze me now). Also check out this closely-related thread: http://www.painintheenglish.com/post.asp?id=223, 1 vote Oct 18 2012 14:06:13. anonymous + 1. For example you make “blackberry,” the fruit, plural by changing the “y” to “ies”; but you make “BlackBerry,” the phone, plural by simply adding an “s” to the end: “BlackBerrys.”, It’s the same with names. My last name is Mayberry and for years I have spelled it "Mayberries"on our Christmas cards because I like it that way. Permalink This might explain why King James was so generous in granting Hugh the lands of Con O'Neil in Ulster? Report Abuse. This is true of the names of people as well as brand names. Family names are like brand names: you don’t change the base spelling. "And remember—it's Socrates' deathbed, but Zeus's lovers." But I presume that Mr Balboa and others with his given name are Rockys. Are there any diacritics not on the top or bottom of a letter? (Notice the correct punctuation with a quotation mark so you can take me seriously.) Nouns ending in “y” a. Plus, I work in the legal field and have a BA in English. I presume "So I am writing a historical novel" means something like "Supposing I were writing a historical novel" - it doesn't mean you actually are. Permalink http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm, http://www.painintheenglish.com/post.asp?id=223, http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-make-family-names-plural.aspx. Hekter Hairfoot McGlammery You never use an apostrophe to pluralize, so it would be Konoskes. [duplicate], Opt-in alpha test for a new Stacks editor. This is from French Wikipedia: 'La famille Montgommery (ou Montgomery, Montgomeri) est une importante famille normande originaire du Calvados.'. Create Spanish sentences using English words ending in “y” - Part 4B. Either way, Word doesn't like either spelling. Pretty clear here:http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-make-family-names-plural.aspx, I happen to be one of those newspaper people you referred to who "should know better. Anonymous is a dipshit. How to Make Your Last Name Plural This Christmas Season. (If the family name is Clinton.) Archibald George, the 18th and current Earl of Eglinton, uses "Montgomerie" for surname, but A. G. is actually a "Seton" by pedigree, and not a bloodline Montgomerie. so if it's a vowel before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 's'. If your last name ends with “s, x, z, ch, sh”, then add an “es” at the end of your name. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! … “Kennedy” becomes “the Kennedys,” and “Disney” becomes “the Disneys.” A newsl… The great writers in literature would use the correct "Murphies. Incidentally, you got your James numbers reversed. It is your name, and you can pluralize it anyway you want, especially on your Christmas cards. Change -y to -ies or -s. baby - babies, memory - memories, story - stories boy - boys, enjoy - enjoys, journey - journeys. I … Don’t change the spelling of your last name and don’t add an apostrophe. 6 If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add an -s to make it plural. Ubuntu 20.04 - need Python 2 - native Python 2 install vs other options? Why doesn't the UK Labour Party push for proportional representation? So we all have a different last name. For example, to congratulate a couple on tying the knot, you'd say, "Congratulations to the … When speaking Spanish and saying plural of a Spanish surname, the name gets said the same as the singular. If the last name ends in [a], then removing the [j] would give the name of the patriarch or the place, as in, Grudaj - j = Gruda (place in MM). Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Incidentally, that website seems to use exclusively "Montgomerys" when talking of various Montgomery families. This applies to last names as well. I found this thread about the same thing but its a few years old. the rule has always been that the plural form of a noun ending in 'y', whether it's a name or not, will depend on whether there is a vowel or a consonant before the 'y'. I realize that the normal rule of pluralizing nouns doesn't apply to proper names. Note that although The Chicago Manual of Style recommends this style for American Indian tribal names (Hopis), Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionarylists both a plural form identical to the singular form for this tribe and others with names ending in vowels (Hopi, Cherokee) and the -s plural form (Hopis, Cheroke… Found 44825 words that end in y. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that end with y. As for what to tack on, usually you only have to add an s to the end of their entire last name—even if the last letter is y. Report Abuse. For anyone who thinks anonymous might be right, try googling "the kennedies" and you'lll get your answer. I was looking for a short answer, however I am more perplexed than when I started. Permalink so, for example, the plural of a word like 'boy' is 'boys' because it's a vowel 'o' before the 'y'. I'm hoping they use the name on my return address instead of my signature on the card ;), @tchrist - I think Adam meant that someone reading the card might then try to address the OP as, How do you pluralize a last name ending in y? Forming Plural Nouns in English and Spanish - Part 4C - Words Ending in "y" 390401 views. Permalink Are these correct?1. Hi, In careful writing, I would avoid this difficulty by saying eg 'two people called Cathy'. http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=the+Montgomeries%2Cthe+Montgomerys&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=. Singulars ending in f usually changes to ves: dwarf to dwarves, leaf to leaves, and so on. There is a difference between correct and commonly-accepted writing. On the other hand, Orderic confirms some of Roger's Montgomeris were at Hastings. In any case, the name (what we're interested in here) has continued unchanged from Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton (c.1460 - 1545) to the present. By the way, Orderic, son of Odelarius of Orleans, wrote that Roger stayed in Normandy, first going to England in December of the year 1067. For words that end in y, there is a simple rule for changing these words to the plural form: If the yfollows a consonant, then change the y to iand add -es. Why do we change some words ending in 'y' to 'ies' and some we just add 's' to make plurals or third person verbs? I agree with "Anonymous 2" that commonly-accepted writing should control. LOLAIMLORRL. If you're writing a historical novel, shouldn't you have been doing this sort of research already? They are not both "Murphies." What is an effective way to evaluate and assess employees on a non-management career track? Just FYI, you're asking a community of rules enthusiasts if you should continue doing something against the rules. The consensus is going to be "no". At some point, we might have a child together, so they'd take my husband's last name (example Ann Doe). Report Abuse. Go for either Murphies or Murphys--both look a tad weird to me, but I'm positive that any use of the apostrophe in this situation is just plain wrong. Roger (1) de Montgommery was part of the entourage of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and his son Roger sailed with Robert's son, one William the Bastard, to England in 1066, and served William so well he was given a considerable amount of land, stretching over both England and Wales, and awarded the title of Earl of Shrewesbury in 1074. It's so true that the spelling rules say if 'y' is a full vowel (eg 'daisy') it will change to '-ies'; but if it's a semi-vowel (ie after another vowel, like in 'day') it adds an -s. Just - even old prescriptive style guides and grammar books say family names are different! How to pluralize surnames ending in short vowel then s? Report Abuse, The great equalizer: The Web SearchMurphys - 1,220,000 (98.9%)Murphies - 13,500 (1.1%)Murphyes - 23 (0.002%), 7 votes puppy – puppies. Refer to “the two Germanys,” for example, or “the Greeces of the modern and classical eras”). "Noone". The rules for pluralization, singular possession, and plural possession are the same as the rules for names ending in y: Plural: Coincidentally, there are three Pattis performing in that band. Permalink Nouns ending with the letter Y are listed here. Plural Of Name Ending In Y? I fully recognize that I don't follow it on my Christmas cards. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for - Plural Form Of Words Ending In Y. an apostrophe before an 's' indicates a contraction of the name with the verb to be (ie, "murphy is here" becomes "murphy's here") or to show possession: eg, "that's murphy's car". The glass collecting club I belong to has a quarterly publication called the SGS Quarterly. How do you differentiate between the plural form of the name "Murphy" and the plural form of the name "Murphie?" The following is from the Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 7.9:. the Fernandez family → the Fernandezes. Any thoughts on whether or not I should stop using it the way I like and go with the "correct" way of Mayberrys? Pluralization of proper nouns: regular or irregular? Have you seriously ever seen anyone write or teach 'Kennedies' or 'the Bradies'? the Daley family → the Daleys. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms. The rule goes like … I would use "Mayberrys" to avoid confusing people who want to address you using the singular form. How can I convert a JPEG image to a RAW image with a Linux command? While the French Wikipedia spells his name de Montgommery, English Wikipedia spells it de Montgomerie. Please advise. i just gave the rule as i know it because noone had answered the original question grammatically. the Martinezes the Bruno family, pl. ray – rays. There is a further complication in that, according to the Clan Montgomery website, some people have the surname Montgomerie, which would boost the IE figures. The plural of a proper noun that ends in y is always formed by simply adding an s, whether the y is preceded by a vowel or consonant. Google always thinks "Mountgomery" should conform to "Montgomery" but I protest. @Warsaw Will – Dig deep and you'll find the Montgomeries who were ancestors of James I of Scotland–James VI of England. ©2021 CYCLE Interactive, LLC.All Rights Reserved. ", Do you have a question? Since it is your name, you can pluralize it however you like. It's not like the established "rule" is particularly useful or logical. But we won't go back to some controversy from the 1960s about whether linguists should 'describe' or 'prescribe'. Unlike regular nouns that end in y, names that end in y are also made plural by adding -s: the Kennedy clan → the Kennedys. 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Should continue doing something `` quite incorrect '' is amazingly assertive for one so ill-informed Dig deep and you take! More interested in spelling here than in genealogy spelling it wrong creating possessive forms is “... Or teach 'Kennedies ' or 'the Bradies ' of Roger 's Montgomeris were Hastings!