Hayes’s or Hayes’?

The term Hayes’s is a singular possessive  for the word Hayes e.g. “At Hayes’s home, friends always have fun movie nights.” It is guided by the Chicago Manual of Style. Furthermore, Hayes’ is another singular possessive form for the name Hayes e.g. “The park cleanup went smoothly with Hayes’s plan.”Use it when you are following the AP Stylebook

FormExample
SingularHayes
PluralHayses
Singular possessiveHayes’/  Hayes’s
Plural possessiveHayeses’

Singular: Hayes is great at making our school projects interesting.

Plural: The Hayeses always have a cozy family dinner on Sundays.

Singular possessive: In the school play, Hayes’s performance was captivating and well-praised.

Singular possessive: At the community picnic, everyone enjoyed Hayes’ delicious homemade treats.

Plural possessive: The Hayeses and friends volunteer together at local charity events.

As you can see from the above, the standard form is Hayes and the plural is “Hayses.”  Hayses is  not so common but when the family or surname is Hayes then you will refer the member of the family to “the hayeses”

Continue reading the rest of this lesson to learn more about  how to use different possessive forms for Hayes.  We have put together great examples to give you a clear understanding of how to use each form in any scenario.

Hayses

The term Hayeses  is the standard plural for Hayes

 Use it when you are referring to more than one person named Hayes. The formation of this plural is guided by rules that stipulate that you added ‘es’ to the proper nouns that end in s to form their possessives. 

  • The Hayeses love camping with friends, telling stories by the fire.
  • The Hayeses love their annual summer picnic with tasty food.
  • Dinner at the Hayeses is all about making happy family memories.
  • The kitchen is the favorite spot for the Hayeses to gather for family dinners.

Hayes’s

The term Hayes’s, ending with an apostrophe and ‘s’ is  the  commonly used singular possessive form for Hayes. Use it to  refer to something that belongs to someone named Hayes.

This form is guided by the Chicago Manual is styles. Whatever form you choose to use, just maintain it throughout the document you working on,

  • The park cleanup was a success, thanks to Hayes’s leadership in organizing volunteers.
  • The community center looks great with Hayes’s improvements.
  • The new project at work succeeded because of Hayes’s hard work.
  • In the neighborhood, Hayes’s free bike repair sessions are popular.
  • During the race, everyone noticed Hayes’s fair play and sportsmanship.
  • Hayes’s dedication to the forest project is making a positive impact.

Some people often remove the s at the end of Hayes when the next word starts with ‘S’. This practice is acceptable by most styling guides as  it makes sentences clearer and easier to pronounce.

Hayes’

Hayes’ ending with an apostrophe is another singular possessive form for the term  Hayes.

Use it when you are talking about ownership by a person named Hayes. 

This form is guided by the AP stylebook. However, it is less commonly used of the two singular possessives according to google ngram.

If you choose to use those forms, ensure that you maintain consistency in the document you are editing.

  • At Hayes’ house, friends gather for movies and snacks.
  • In class, everyone likes Hayes’ smart ideas.
  • Hayes’ bike is the coolest one in our group.
  • In the forest, Hayes’ knowledge about nature is impressive.
  • At Hayes’ home, friends always have fun movie nights.
  • Hayes’ school projects are always interesting and creative.

Hayeses’

Hayeses’ ending with an apostrophe  is the plural possessive form for Hayes. It follows the English rule that guides that, to form plural possessives of plural proper nouns,  add an apostrophe at the end.

Use Hayeses’ to refer to ownership by multiple individuals named Hayes.

  • Backyard barbecues are the Hayeses’ favorite summer tradition with family and friends.
  • The Hayeses’ dinners are full of laughs and talking.
  • Comfort foods are a must at the Hayeses’ family dinners.
  • The Hayeses’ family dinners have lots of different dishes from everyone.

The Hayeses’ Halloween block party has neighbors and friends bringing spooky treats.

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