Avoid the problem altogether with small numbers by spelling out the word: 'ones' instead of '1's,' 'fours' instead of '4's' or 'nines' instead of '9's.' Only spell out words of numerals that are ten or lower.I'm sorry for this newbie question, but I'M lost at this point:.X Research source This is simply for clarity reasons, so the reader does not mistake it for the word 'is.' However, in modern usage, the preference is to avoid inserting an apostrophe and instead surround the single letter in quotation marks before pluralizing it: Why are there so many 'i's in the word 'indivisibility'? Therefore, Why are there so many i's in the word 'indivisibility'? is correct, depending on who you ask. An occasional exception to this use is in the case of making a single letter plural.X Research source If you have more than one apple, then write apples, not apple's.

The wrong use of an apostrophe to form the plural is called the greengrocer's apostrophe, since grocers are often the worst (or at least the most visible) offenders. In general, don't use an apostrophe to indicate a plural. For instance, if both John and Mary own a cat, you would write 'John and Mary's cat' - not 'John's and Mary's cat.' 'John and Mary' is a cohesive noun phrase, and therefore only needs one apostrophe. If you're listing who owns an object, know where to put the apostrophe.If you wanted to reference their dog, you'd say 'the Williamses' dog.' If the last name seems awkward to say that way, sidestep the issue by saying 'the Williams family' and 'the Williams family's dog.' For instance, if you wanted to discuss the Williams family, they would become 'the Williamses' in a plural sense. If the family's last name ends in 's,' make it plural before adding an apostrophe.The boat is 'the Smarts' boat,' not 'the Smart's boat.' Because you are talking about all of the members of the Smart family, you would start with 'Smarts.' Because all the Smarts (presumably) own the boat, you add the apostrophe after the 's.' For instance, say the Smart family lives across the street from you and owns a boat. One common trip-up on apostrophe usage for a plural group occurs when people want to discuss what a family owns. Use apostrophes to indicate ownership by a plural noun.

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