Bob and Martha Moss gave a gift. What's the correct plural possessive of their last name -- "the Mosses' gift" ?? (Yes, I agree the best solution is to rewrite to avoid it altogether, but really -- what IS the correct answer here? We are debating it in our office. thanks!
Mosses'
This is a very thorny topic, since people with such names employ various practices, and often feel very strongly about what they do, claiming a kind of personal ownership.
But this problem is not unique to proper names. Consider:
Both fairy godmothers granted all of the princesses' wishes.
They polished all stemware, paying special attention to the wineglasses' rims.
The computer kept a log of millions of accesses, along with the accesses' time and duration.
Ichthyologists know that basses' mouths vary greatly in size.
Also:
class (sg.) / classes (pl.) / classes' (pl. poss.)
dress (sg.) / dresses (pl.) / dresses' (pl. poss.)
kiss (sg.)/ kisses (pl.) / kisses' (pl. poss.)
cross / crosses / crosses'
puss / pusses / pusses'
abyss / abysses / abysses'
When the s is for the plural , you create the possessive by adding only an apostrophe: the Mosses' gift.
(What if the s is just part of the proper name? Then the possessive is formed the usual way : Moss's gift.)
More stuffs:
https://waywordradio.org/discussion/topics/jones-vs-joness/
https://waywordradio.org/discussion/topics/last-names-ans-plurals/
Glenn, I checked your Oxford Dictionary link and found this statement:
With personal names that end in -s: add an apostrophe plus s when you would naturally pronounce an extra s if you said the word out loud:
He joined Charles’s army in 1642.
Dickens's novels provide a wonderful insight into Victorian England.
Thomas's brother was injured in the accident.
Note that there are some exceptions to this rule, especially in names of places or organizations, for example:
St Thomas’ Hospital
If you aren’t sure about how to spell a name, look it up in an official place such as the organization’s website.
With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s:
The court dismissed Bridges' appeal.
I understand that the "s" in "Thomas" is pronounced as an "s" but the "s" in "Bridges" is pronounced as a "z", hence the distinction? But to my ear, the "s" in "Dickens" and "Charles" is also pronounced as a "z". Please clarify, thanks.
And what happens when the name ends with a "z" that's pronounced as an "s"? For example "Schultz".
Also an observation ... I find it amusing that the OD recommends "checking an official place such as a website" since I often see typos and misspellings on websites, not to mention newspapers, billboards, and even TV ads. You'd think everyone would be using spell-check these days.