Thomases or Thomas’s or Thomas’ – which is correct?
Grammar > Thomases or Thomas’s or Thomas’ – which is correct?
Published in March 2023
Edited by: Mary S., high school English grammar and vocabulary teacher
How do you write the possessive and plural forms of Thomas and which is the right way?
This always confused me so much! Thankfully the answer is (relatively) simple.
We will get to the specifics but first let’s summarise.
| SINGULAR POSSESSIVE (or something belonging to one Thomas): Thomas’s and Thomas’ are BOTH considered correct. So you can say either “Thomas’s pen” or “Thomas’ pen” and you won’t be wrong. PLURAL of Thomas (more than one Thomas): PLURAL POSSESSIVE (if something is owned by multiple Thomases): |
Read on to find out more about why this is so tricky to spell and vary the plural and possessives of Thomas in the English language.
Contents
Thomas – Singular
Thomas is a very popular and historic first name and surname.
One of the most common in fact! And with some linguistic and spelling variations, popular the world over.
However, like other names and English words that end with the letter “s”, making plural and possessive forms of Thomas is a nightmare!
Believe me, you are not the only one that Thomas and Thomases have confused…
Let’s clear up this confusion today.
The word Thomas is a proper noun. Proper nouns are words that are used to name something, in this case, a person. And we write proper nouns with a capital letter. For example, John, Sam, Jones, Peter, Charles etc.
How would you refer to multiple people named Thomas?
Thomases – Plural
To make a plural of Thomas, you just add -ES.
Like you would write more than one pass as passes or more than class as classes.
Similarly, if you wanted to refer to more than one Thomas, you add-ES, and would write Thomases.
Easy.
Examples of Thomases used in a sentence:
- “There are three Thomases at this meeting”
- “So many Thomases! At least it is easy to remember your names!”
Possessives (or instances when something belongs to Thomas) is when it gets a bit more tricky.
Thomas’s OR Thomas’ – Singular Possessive
Let’s imagine, a student named Thomas is sitting in a class.
If you wanted to refer to this class, would you say “Thomas’s class” or “Thomas’ class”?
As it turns out, you can use both correctly.
The reason for this is somewhat unusual.
When it comes to writing in English, there are different style guides (guides on how to write in English) and they are not consistent when it comes to this topic.
The relevant authorities disagree.
So, as a result, both Thomas’ and Thomas’s are considered acceptable.
Please note that using Thomases is incorrect when referring to something that belongs to Thomas. Thomases is a plural refers to more than one Thomas. As we will see below, use Thomases’ for the plural possessive.
Let’s look at Thomas’ and Thomas’s individually now.
Thomas’s
Thomas’s is one correct way to write the possessive form of Thomas. I suggest using Thomas’s as I find it the easiest and most accepted.
It is the preferred way to write it by the majority of style guides including The Chicago Manual of Style and the Microsoft Writing Style Guide. These guides recommend adding an apostrophe and s (‘s) to all singular nouns to signify possession, irrespective of whether the word ends with an s or not.
It is also clearly the more popular and accepted form to use in British English.
See some examples of Thomas’s used in a sentence:
- “These books are Thomas’s.“
- “I can’t wait for Thomas’s brothers to get here!”
- “I am looking forward to Thomas’s birthday party so much”
- “I just saw Thomas’s new black car and it looks so cool!”
Thomas’
Is Thomas’ a word?
Most definitely yes.
Thomas’ is another correct way to write the possessive form of the name.
The Associated Press Stylebook, originating in New York, recommends just adding an apostrophe (‘) to signify possession for a noun that ends with the letter S.
This form, while still considered accurate, is used less often with time.
See some examples of Thomas’ used in a sentence:
- “Thomas’ parents are so nice to let us have have lunch at their house.”
- “You are waiting for Thomas’ mum to pick you up.”
- “I think this is Thomas’ hat.”
- “I just attended Thomas’ concert and I liked it a lot!”
- “Have you seen Thomas’ phone?”
So should I use Thomas’s or Thomas’?
Both are correct to use.
Having said that, I personally prefer and suggest my students use Thomas’s and it is probably the more popular form but it is entirely up to you.
It is important to consider which form is used by your school, workplace or people around you for the task you are required to do.
And be consistent. Consistency is crucial, so once you pick which way you use, keep it this way throughout your writing work.
Or avoid it altogether, by writing something that “belongs to Thomas” or “owned by Thomas”.
Now, to one final piece of the confusion, I promise.
We now know how to write the singular possessive form of Thomas and that Thomases is the plural.
But how do you write the plural possessive or something that belongs to multiple Thomases?
Thomases’ – Plural Possessive
Thomases’ is the plural possessive.
Use Thomases’ if you are referring to something that belongs to more than one Thomas.
Just add an apostrophe.
For example:
“The Thomases’ household.” – this indicates that the household is owned by multiple Thomases.
To conclude
Now that I have written so much about Thomas and Thomases, let’s summarise the key messages with some frequently asked questions.
What is the plural of Thomas?
Thomases.
What is the singular possessive of Thomas?
Thomas’s and Thomas’ are both accepted versions. The reason is that different authorities give different advice meaning both are fine. I suggest using Thomas’s as it more prevalent and generally easier to apply.
What is the plural possessive of Thomases?
Thomases’. Just add an apostrophe.
Do you make errors when you write or spell in English?
Or do you have any tips to remember how to write the plurals or possessives of names like this one?
Please drop your tips and comments in the section below or send us a message.
Also let me know if there is any other confusing English words you would like us to cover on Compare it Versus.
References
References and data used in the writing of this article
- Thomas, Wikipedia, accessed in March 2023
- Proper Nouns, NSW Government Education page, retrieved February 2023
- Oxford English Dictionary, accessed in December 2022, link to Oxford page
- Top Names Over the Last 100 years, The United States Social Security Administration Official Page, retrieved March 2023
- Associated Press Stylebook, The Associated Press, accessed March 2023
- The Chicago Manual Of Style Online, accessed February 2023
- Writing Style Guide, Microsoft, accessed March 2023
- How Often Should website, reference on how often things are or should be done, retrieved March 2023
- Google search engine for popularity of search terms, search completed in February 2023
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