Plurals and Possessives
Editorial Style Guide
Consistent style and usage are essential to conveying quality and professionalism in our written communications. Click below for a guide to Colby standards on capitalization, punctuation, and more.
1. Names
Form plurals of family names that end in s by adding es.
The Jameses live in Waterville.
Form plurals and possessives of proper names that end with s, x, and z like this:
the Joneses’ reputation
Bro Adams’s hair
Dr. Savitz’s holdings
The Savitzes’ shared assets
The Mules’ victory
Karl Marx’s theories
2. Plurals
Form plurals of the following by adding s alone.
the early 1920s (the early ’20s)
YMCAs
in twos and threes
Form plurals of the following by adding ’s.
M.A.’s and Ph.D.’s
SOS’s
S’s, A’s, and I’s
x’s and y’s
the three R’s
3. Preferred plurals
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| appendices | appendixes |
| colloquia | colloquiums |
| curricula | curriculums |
| memoranda | memorandums |
| millennia | millenniums |
| forums | fora |
| symposia | symposiums |