Jones’ and Jones’s are correct possessive forms of the name Jones. Furthermore, in AP Style, you should use Jones’. E.g., “Mike Jones’ car was stolen while they were away.” However, if following the Chicago Manual of Style, you should use Jones’s. E.g., “Mrs. Jones’s daughter is a doctor.”
The following chart shows the different forms of the familiar name Jones.
| Singular | Jones |
| Plural | Joneses |
| Singular possessive | Jones’ / Jones’s |
| Plural possessive | Joneses’ |
The word Jones is a last name that is common in many countries worldwide.
Also, as you can see, there are two correct possessive forms. The first, Jones’, is the one you should use for AP Style. Furthermore, the Chicago Manual of Style states that you should use Jones’s as the singular possessive.
Here are some examples of how the different forms appear in a sentence:
- Singular: Now that she has married Jack, she is a Jones forever.
- Plural: Mr. and Mrs. Jonesare known simply as the Joneses in their local town.
- Singular possessive: Janet Jones’ birthday is the same day as mine.
- Singular possessive: Mr. Jones’s house is in a state of disrepair.
- Plural possessive: The Joneses’ house is much bigger than ours.
The difference between the final two examples is that in the plural possessive example, we know that more than one Jones lives in the house. In the singular example, we know that only Mr. Jones lives or owns the house.
Now that you have learned the basics regarding how to use the name Jones, please keep reading to learn more detail about each form.
Jones’
The word Jones’ is a correct singular possessive form of the surname Jones. Therefore, you use it to mention that something belongs to one member of the Jones family.
- Mr. Jones’ father died last week.
- Sally Jones’ temperament is a little unpredictable.
Furthermore, if you are following AP Style, which is commonly followed in schools, you should use Jones’ rather than Jones’s.
Also, when using the singular possessive form of Jones, you should take care that multiple Joneses do not own the thing you refer to. If this is the case, you should use the plural possessive instead.
- The Joneses’ new car is electric.
Jones’s
The term Jones’s is a correct singular possessive form for the surname Jones. Consequently, you use it when you want to indicate that a Jones has possession of something.
- Mick Jones’s restaurant serves the best seafood in town.
In addition, the word Jones’s is the more standard version of the singular possessive, and it is the version that people use more often in legal writing.
Also, you should use Jones’s in any text that follows the Chicago Manual of Style.
Something that you should be careful of when using the singular possessive form of Jones is that multiple Joneses do not own the object, which can be difficult because the two words sound the same.
However, when numerous members of a Jones family possess something, you need to use Joneses’.
- The Joneses’ vacation pictures in Europe look amazing.