The term Thomas’ is a correct singular possessive form of Thomas that is favored in AP Style. E.g., “Thomas’ birthday is in July.” Also, the form Thomas’s with an “s” after the apostrophe is correct and is favored in the Chicago Manual of Style. E.g., “Thomas’s car is brand new.”
Here are the different singular forms of Thomas, with some example sentences so you can see
the forms in context.
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Thomas |
| Singular possessive | Thomas’s/ Thomas’ |
forms of Thomas
- Singular possessive: Thomas’s / Thomas’
- Singular: Thomas told me that he would be home early tonight.
- Singular possessive: Thomas’s phone is on the table.
- Singular possessive: Thomas’ family is going on vacation next week.
As you can see, there are two singular possessive forms of Thomas that are correct. Therefore, which form you decide to use is up to you. However, you ought to ensure consistency by using the same version in any single text.
Furthermore, an example of how both terms can be correct is evident by looking at the term St Thomas’s Hospital. If you refer to the hospital in London, the correct spelling is St Thomas’s Hospital. However, when referring to the university in Minnesota, the proper spelling is St Thomas’ University.
Perhaps you are still in doubt over how to use the possessive forms of Thomas. If so, please keep reading the rest of the article to learn more about the possessive forms of Thomas and to ensure that you never get it wrong again.
Thomas’s
Thomas’s is a singular possessive form of the name Thomas.
In modern English, the tendency is to use an “s” after the apostrophe when forming possessives. Therefore, it is no surprise that Thomas’s is the more common of the two singular possessive forms in American and British English.
Moreover, if you are writing a document that follows the Chicago Manual of Style, you should use the form Thomas’s.
- Thomas’s job is quite challenging and rewarding.
- Furthermore, some people remove the “s” from the end of Thomas’s when the following word starts with “s.” Remember that you must be consistent and use this version throughout the document if you choose to use it once.
- Thomas’ sister is two years older than him.
Thomas’
The term Thomas’ is also a correct singular possessive form of the name Thomas. Therefore, that means you use it to indicate that something belongs to a person named Thomas.
Also, you should use the version Thomas’ when writing a text in AP Style because their rule specifies that proper nouns do not carry the additional “s.”
- Thomas’ family is going to the beach this weekend.
