Secretaries vs. Secretary’s – Which is Correct?
Both secretaries and secretary’s are correct, but they serve different grammatical purposes. Secretaries is the plural of secretary, meaning more than one administrative professional. Secretary’s is the singular possessive form or a contraction of secretary is or secretary has. Choose secretaries for multiple people; choose secretary’s before a belonging noun.
Secretaries or Secretary’s – Which is Correct?
Secretaries is the plural form of secretary. It refers to two or more secretaries: “The secretaries prepared the documents.” Secretary’s has an apostrophe and may have two meanings. It can show possession, as in “the secretary’s desk,” or it can shorten “secretary is” or “secretary has,” as in “The secretary’s reviewing the file.”
The apostrophe is essential in secretary’s. Without it, secretaries simply identifies multiple people. Do not use secretary’s as the ordinary plural of secretary.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the people-versus-possession test. If you mean more than one secretary, use secretaries. If you can replace the phrase with “belonging to the secretary,” use secretary’s. You can also expand secretary’s to “secretary is” or “secretary has” when it functions as a contraction.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| secretaries | Plural noun | More than one secretary | The secretaries attended the meeting. |
| secretary’s | Possessive noun or contraction | Belonging to one secretary; secretary is; or secretary has | The secretary’s computer is new. |
How to Use Secretaries
Secretaries is the standard plural noun for secretary. It describes two or more people who perform administrative, clerical, organizational, or support duties. The word is appropriate in casual, professional, academic, and formal writing.
Because secretary ends in a consonant followed by y, its plural changes the y to ies. The same pattern appears in words such as library and company.
Example 1: The secretaries coordinated appointments for the visiting executives.
Example 2: Several secretaries contributed suggestions to improve the office filing system.
Example 3: The school’s secretaries help students, families, teachers, and administrators every day.
What are the different forms of Secretaries?
Secretaries is already the plural form of secretary. The singular is secretary, the plural is secretaries, and the singular possessive is secretary’s. The plural possessive is secretaries’, as in “the secretaries’ desks.”
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| secretary | One secretary |
| secretaries | Two or more secretaries |
| secretary’s | Something belonging to one secretary |
| secretaries’ | Something belonging to multiple secretaries |
Etymology of the word Secretaries
Secretaries comes from the singular noun secretary, which developed from the Latin secretarius, meaning a person entrusted with confidential matters. The word entered English through French and came to describe an official or assistant responsible for records, correspondence, and private information. Its plural spelling follows the standard English y-to-ies pattern.
How to Use Secretary’s
Secretary’s has two distinct uses. First, it is the singular possessive form of secretary, showing that something belongs to or is associated with one secretary. For example, “the secretary’s calendar” means the calendar belonging to one secretary.
Second, secretary’s can be a contraction of secretary is or secretary has. The intended meaning is determined by the words that follow it. In formal business, academic, or legal writing, spelling out secretary is or secretary has may be clearer than using the contraction.
Example 1: The secretary’s office is located beside the reception area.
Example 2: The secretary’s reviewing the final contract before sending it.
Example 3: The secretary’s completed the report and forwarded it to the director.
What are the different forms of Secretary’s?
Secretary’s is not a plural form. As a possessive noun, it is used before a noun: “the secretary’s chair.” As a contraction, it can mean secretary is or secretary has: “The secretary’s available” means “The secretary is available,” while “The secretary’s finished” means “The secretary has finished.”
When several secretaries jointly possess something, use the plural possessive secretaries’: “the secretaries’ workspace.” The apostrophe comes after the s because the noun is already plural.
Etymology of the word Secretary’s
Secretary’s is formed from secretary plus the apostrophe and s used for singular possession. The contraction meanings developed from the combining of secretary with is or has. In modern English, context and sentence structure distinguish the possessive form from the contraction.
Related Concepts
Understanding plurals, possessives, and contractions makes the difference between secretaries and secretary’s easier to recognize.
- Plural nouns: Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Secretaries is the plural of secretary.
- Possessive nouns: Possessive nouns show ownership, association, or relationship. Secretary’s means that something belongs to or relates to one secretary.
- Contractions: Contractions combine words and replace omitted letters with an apostrophe. Secretary’s may shorten secretary is or secretary has.
- Plural possessives: A plural possessive shows that something belongs to more than one person. Secretaries’ is the plural possessive form.
Examples from Media and Literature
The word secretaries commonly appears in workplace stories, historical accounts, journalism, and fiction involving offices or government. These examples show how the plural form works in context:
- Television: Workplace dramas such as Mad Men frequently portray groups of secretaries working in a mid-century advertising office.
- Film: In The Devil Wears Prada, office assistants and administrative staff support the magazine’s demanding editorial operation.
- Classic cinema: The 1940 film His Girl Friday presents a newsroom environment in which administrative and journalistic roles overlap.
- Historical writing: Biographies of presidents and political leaders often discuss the secretaries who managed correspondence, schedules, and confidential records.
- News reporting: Reports about large offices, courts, schools, and government departments regularly use secretaries when referring to multiple administrative employees.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence: secretaries or secretary’s.
- The two ______ prepared the conference materials.
- The ______ desk is near the entrance.
- The ______ responsible for booking the room has left for the day.
- The manager thanked the ______ for their careful work.
- The ______ computer needs a software update.
Answer Key
- secretaries — The sentence refers to two people.
- secretary’s — The desk belongs to one secretary.
- secretary’s — This means “secretary is responsible.”
- secretaries — The manager thanked multiple people.
- secretary’s — The computer belongs to one secretary.
Secretaries Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Administrative assistants | Professionals who organize office operations, schedules, documents, and communications. |
| Office assistants | Workers who provide general administrative support in an office. |
| Clerical staff | Employees who handle records, paperwork, data entry, and routine office tasks. |
| Receptionists | Employees who welcome visitors and often manage calls and front-desk duties. |
| Executive assistants | Administrative professionals who provide high-level support to executives or senior managers. |
Secretary’s Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Belonging to the secretary | A phrase that expresses the possessive meaning of secretary’s. |
| Of the secretary | A formal alternative to the possessive construction. |
| Secretary is | The expanded form of the contraction when secretary’s means secretary is. |
| Secretary has | The expanded form of the contraction when secretary’s means secretary has. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “secretaries” the plural of “secretary”?
Yes. Secretaries is the correct plural form. The final y changes to ies.
Question 2: Is “secretary’s” grammatically correct?
Yes. Secretary’s is correct when it shows possession or contracts secretary is or secretary has. It is not the plural form.
Question 3: What is the difference between “secretaries’” and “secretary’s”?
Secretary’s shows possession by one secretary, while secretaries’ shows possession by multiple secretaries. For example, “the secretary’s schedule” belongs to one person, while “the secretaries’ schedules” belong to several people.
Conclusion
Secretaries means more than one secretary, while secretary’s indicates singular possession or contracts secretary is or secretary has. Remember the people-versus-possession test: use secretaries for multiple professionals and secretary’s for one person’s belongings or a contraction. Pro Tip: Checking apostrophes carefully helps protect your professional reputation in emails, reports, and applications.
