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READER’S DIGEST When The Surname Ends In YOr I When pluralising common nouns that end in y, we drop the y and add ies. Likewise, for words ending in i, we add es. That’s how puppy be- comes puppies and chilli becomes chillies. This isn’t true for proper nouns. You should never change the spelling of a name, even to make it plural. In- stead, the pluralisation of surnames ending in y or i simply require an s at the end. For example, Murphy → Murphys, Rosetti → Rosettis, Zachary → Zacharys, Godoy → Godoys. What About Apostrophes? Rules for using an apostrophe can be confusing. No doubt you’ve seen peo- ple create a plural last name by add- ing an apostrophe – like the Jones’ or the Paulson’s. This is incorrect. “To make a simple plural, no apos- trophe is needed: Muellers, Changs, Sanchezes,” McLendon says. “But lots of people put apostrophes there anyway, so other people think, Well, maybe that is correct even though I think I learned back in school that we don’t need an apostrophe there .” Bottom line: apostrophes are for showing ownership or possession, not for naming a group or writing a plural family name. In other words, if you’re referring to the Jones family, you’d address the card to the Joneses . If you’re talking about their house, you’d write the Joneses’ house. Tips ForWriting Plural Surnames Sending well wishes is a lovely act of kindness so treat it with the care it deserves – this isn’t just one more thing to check off your to-do list. STICK TO THEIR REAL NAME. Don’t shorten it, change the spelling or use a nickname (unless you’re already on a nickname basis). This is espe- cially true when writing names that are from a language other than Eng- lish. Don’t try to change it to an eas- ier-to-pronounce spelling or English version. TAKE THE TIME TO ENSURE THE SPELLING IS CORRECT. It takes only a minute to double-check. WRITE CLEARLY AND STICK TO PRINT. Cursive writing may look el- egant, but many people don’t know how to read it, especially the young- er generation, as it has been dropped from most school curricula. ASK QUESTIONS. Some people prefer to spell their names differently than the accepted norms, and that can extend to the way they pluralise it. If you’re unsure, just ask themhow they prefer their name to be spelt. If you’re still unsure how to write a plural surname, one trick is to use the name plus ‘family’. For example: the Wong family, the Roberts family. 18 June/July 2025