I've been very busy this summer chillaxing on the beach, so I've been neglecting Apostrophe Catastrophes. I apologize, dear readers! Luckily, I found an apostrophe catastrophe in the Glamour I was reading on a Nantucket beach.
My brain might be mush right now from the excessive eating, drinking, and sunbathing, but shouldn't this just be "keeping up with the Joneses?"
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2 comments:
You're correct. In the headline it is referring to the plural of Jones, not the possessive. The plural of Jones is Joneses. Or at least according to this article it is: http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/content/90/5/708.full
In summary:
Mr and Mrs Jones = The Joneses
The house of Mr Jones = Mr Jones’(s) house
The house of Mr and Mrs Jones = The Joneses’ house
‘Keeping up’ with the practices or possessions of Mr and Mrs Jones = Keeping up with the Joneses
:)
Since this is an ad for Jones New York, the writers may have been going for a play on "Keeping up with the Joneses" with "Keeping up with the Jones' (style)." According to some guides (like the AP), the possessive of Jones is just Jones'.
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