Which would you use: "The Matthews' home" or "The Matthewses' home"?

[notunique]

I guess what I really want to know is whether Matthewses is the right word for the plural of the Matthews.

The second doesn't look quite right. Even my friends who have surnames ending with an s would go for the former.

[Rindercella]

Personally, I would say, "The home of the Matthews".

If in doubt, reword is my motto

[mafog]

I would say that the singular and plural are the same in this case. So the first is correct.

[ImSoNotTelling]

The first one.

[IdrisTheDragon]

The first one.

[itwasntme]

First

[notunique]

Is it accepted that Joneses is the plural of Jones then; as in "Keeping up with the Joneses"?

Should it not follow that the home of of the Jones should be "Joneses' home"?

How would you distinguish which to use?

[ImSoNotTelling]

I don't think Joneses is right though - I think that's how you say it rather than how you write it. You would write Jones'.

[CantThinkofFunnyName]

It would definitely be Matthews'. And keeping up with the Joneses - should be Jones'.

[HouseOfHorrorMum]

I thought I read somewhere once that you always use apostrophe-s except for the name Jesus eg you have in Jesus' name, but would have Lewis's socks so presumably in this case the Matthews's house?

[ImSoNotTelling]

I think it's either way houseofhorror.

Having said that, my DH's name ends with "s", and I asked him whether it should be xxxxxs' or xxxxxs's and extremely depressingly he said he didn't know He claimed it has never come up [double ]

[notunique]

HOHM, I read that you should use 's for singular nouns not ending in s.

For plural nouns ending in s, it should be just '.

In this case, it's the plural of Matthews that's causing the confusion.

Definitely not Matthews's home according to the link here, it's the Joneses' house example that's lead me to this!

[nevergoogledragonbutter]

House of the Matthewses

[notunique]

Good grief! indeed!

[HouseOfHorrorMum]

How sad am I - have now bookmarked that punctuation site

[campion]

Matthewses if there are more than one of them and Matthewses' home / house if more than one Matthews lives there.

Lord / Lady Matthews's house if it's just the single occupant.

[Washersaurus]

I used to be a Matthews...shh (no not bernard)

I'd say the first one - you just don't add 's onto words ending in 's' IYSWIM

[Washersaurus]

Why would you utter/write that sentence anyway?

[ImSoNotTelling]

She is writing an article for one of those nausiating "so and so show you round their marvellous home" magazines.

[notunique]

Washer. Well, why wouldn't you? Have you never said to anyone that you are going to the Joneses'/Douglases' place for dinner?

Anyway, just wanted to clarify the plural form of nouns ending with an s. Which should have es on the end even though the above examples look wrong, but it would follow the same logic as; princesses, kisses etc see here.

Thank you campion.

[campion]

Cheers

[truoddsox]

Wouldn't it be "The Matthews' Home"? I think you'd only use Matthewses if you were talking about a family whose surname is Matthews, whereas if your talking about something belonging to that family, in this case, their home, it's definitely "Matthews'".

[truoddsox]

sorry the speech marks confused the end of my last post - it's matthews'

[notunique]

No Truoddsox.

I am talking about the plural possessive form of Matthews. i.e. a family whose surname is Matthews.

The plural form of Matthews is Matthewses.

The possessive form of Matthewses is Matthewses'.

The home belongs to the Matthewses, therefore it's the Matthewses' home.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn