The term Thomas’ is a singular possessive form of Thomas that you should use for AP Style. E.g., “Thomas’ sister lives in Tokyo.” Furthermore, Thomas’s is also the singular possessive form of Thomas recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style. E.g., “Thomas’s restaurant has gone out of business.”
Here is a chart that shows the different possessive and plural forms of the name Thomas.
| Singular | Thomas |
| Plural | Thomases |
| Singular possessive | Thomas’ / Thomas’s |
| Plural possessive | Thomases’ |
There are two versions of the singular possessive. The first you form by adding an apostrophe at the end of Thomas. However, you must also add an “s” after the apostrophe for the other version.
There is no difference in meaning between these singular possessive versions.
However, the AP Stylebook recommends using Thomas’ because Thomas is a proper noun. In contrast, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using Thomas’s.
Here are some sentences that show the different forms in context:
- Singular: Thomas has gone to Australia on vacation.
- Plural: I work with three Thomases.
- Singular possessive: Somebody stole Thomas’ car yesterday.
- Singular possessive: We are going to Thomas’s house for dinner.
- Plural possessive: The two Thomases’ faces looked confused because they didn’t know which Thomas had won the award.
To avoid making mistakes with the different forms of the name Thomas, you should read the rest of the page, where we explain more about the various forms.
Thomas’s
Thomas’s is the singular possessive form of the name Thomas. Therefore, you can use it to talk about things that belong to Thomas.
These things can be both physical and non-physical.
As shown in these examples:
- Thomas’s temper gets the better of him sometimes.
- Thomas’s shirt has a coffee stain on the front.
- Thomas’s handwriting is nearly illegible, making it difficult for his teachers to grade his assignments.
- Thomas’s love for animals led him to volunteer at the local shelter.
- Thomas’s car is always filled with snacks and sports equipment, making it the go-to vehicle for road trips.
Furthermore, if you are required to follow the Chicago Manual of Style, you should use Thomas’s.
In terms of frequency, Thomas’s is slightly more common in American and British English than Thomas’. However, you can choose which version you use as long as you are consistent.
In addition, many people omit the “s” from Thomas’s when the next word begins with “s.” Just make sure that if there are multiple instances in the same text, you do it for all of them.
Here are some great examples of this:
- Thomas’ sister is an award-winning artist.
- Thomas’ shoes are always polished to perfection.
- Everyone was impressed by Thomas’ speech at the conference.
- I borrowed Thomas’ book and found it enlightening.
- Thomas’ desk is always the neatest in the office.
Thomas’
The term Thomas’ is a singular possessive form of the name Thomas. That means you can use it to indicate that something belongs to a person called Thomas.
Furthermore, if your writing is in AP Style, then you should use Thomas’ as the singular possessive.
- Thomas’ wife is called Teresa.
- I saw Thomas’ car parked outside the cake shop.
- Thomas’ presentation was well-received by the management team.
- Thomas’ guitar skills are improving rapidly thanks to his daily practice.
- I heard Thomas’ laughter echoing from the other room.
- Thomas’ enthusiasm for astronomy is truly infectious.
Thomases
The plural form of Thomas is Thomases. While you can use this term to mention more than one person with the first name Thomas, it is more common for the plural possessive to refer to several members of a Thomas family.
- The Thomases’ garden has a swimming pool and hot tub.
- The Thomases’ vacation photos from Hawaii were stunning.
- At the reunion, the Thomases’ contributions to the potluck were the talk of the party.
- The Thomases’ house is known for its elaborate Christmas decorations every year.
- I was amazed by the Thomases’ collection of antique furniture when I visited their home.
Example Sentences
Do you want to see some more example sentences? Well, here you go:
- Thomas’ book is on the top shelf, next to the dictionary.
- I admire Thomas’ dedication to his work.
- Thomas’s cat loves to sleep in the sun.
- Thomas’s cooking skills have greatly improved over the past year.
- The Thomases’ garden party was the highlight of the summer.
- I borrowed a lawn mower from the Thomases’ garage.
- The Thomases’ kids are all gifted musicians.
- We often enjoy the Thomases’ annual Fourth of July fireworks display.
Remember that both Thomas’ and Thomas’s are correct as the singular possesive form of Thomas. Which one you choose is a matter of style and preference.
That’s all you need to know! We hope that you know feel more comfortable using Thomas’, Thomas’s, and Thomases’.
You may, of course, always come back and review the grammar rules if you ever feel in doubt about which of the variations, you should use!