Us’s vs. Us – Which is Correct?
In standard English, us is correct, while us’s is not a standard possessive form. Use us as an object pronoun, and use our or ours to show possession. For example, write “They invited us,” “our house,” or “The choice is ours,” never “us’s” in formal or everyday American writing contexts.
Us’s or Us — Which is Correct?
Us is the correct standard-English word. It is the objective form of the pronoun we and refers to the speaker or writer together with one or more other people. For example, in “The teacher called us,” us receives the action of the verb.
Us’s is not a standard English word. It usually results from trying to add an apostrophe and s to us to express possession. However, personal pronouns do not normally form possession this way. Use our before a noun or ours when the noun is understood.
Write “They visited our office” or “The office is ours,” not “They visited us’s office.” In some dialects or informal representations of speech, writers may use us’s, but it is generally considered nonstandard and should be avoided in academic, professional, and edited writing.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the replacement test: replace us with them. If the sentence still works, you need an object pronoun. For possession, replace the phrase with our or ours. Since “them’s” is not standard English, “us’s” is not the correct possessive form either.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| us | Objective personal pronoun | Refers to the speaker and at least one other person as the object of a verb or preposition | The guide showed us the museum. |
| us’s | Nonstandard form | An incorrect attempt to express possession with us | Use “our plan,” not “us’s plan.” |
How to Use Us
Us is an objective personal pronoun. Use it when the speaker and another person or group receive an action, follow a preposition, or appear after certain linking structures in informal speech. It is common in both casual and formal English.
As the object of a verb, us identifies the people affected by the action. For example, “The company hired us” means that the company hired the speaker and at least one other person.
After a preposition, use us rather than we. Common examples include “with us,” “for us,” “between us,” “to us,” and “near us.”
Example 1: The manager asked us to review the report.
Example 2: Please sit with us during the presentation.
Example 3: The decision affected all of us.
What are the different forms of Us?
Us is an irregular pronoun form rather than a noun that takes a plural ending. Its related forms are we for the subject, us for the object, our for possession before a noun, ours for independent possession, and ourselves as the reflexive form.
- We: We completed the assignment.
- Us: The instructor praised us.
- Our: Our assignment was accepted.
- Ours: The finished assignment is ours.
- Ourselves: We prepared ourselves for the examination.
Etymology of the Word Us
Us comes from Old English ūs, the accusative and dative form of wē, meaning “we.” It is related to similar forms in other Germanic languages, including German uns and Dutch ons. Over time, English retained us as the object form of the first-person plural pronoun.
Related Concepts
Understanding pronoun case and possessive forms makes the difference between us and us’s much easier to recognize.
- Objective pronouns: Objective pronouns receive the action of a verb or follow a preposition. Examples include me, him, her, us, and them.
- Subjective pronouns: Subjective pronouns perform the action of a verb. The subjective form related to us is we, as in “We completed the project.”
- Possessive pronouns: Possessive forms show ownership or association. Use our before a noun and ours when the noun is omitted.
- Apostrophes in possessives: Apostrophes are used with many nouns to show possession, as in “the student’s book,” but standard personal pronouns usually have separate possessive forms and do not take apostrophe-plus-s endings.
Examples from Media and Literature
The following examples reflect common uses of us in film dialogue, journalism, literature, and public communication. They are representative examples rather than extended quotations.
- Film dialogue: A character may say, “They are coming with us,” using us after the preposition with.
- News reporting: A report might state, “The new policy affects us all,” using us as the object of affects.
- Literary dialogue: A character may ask, “Will you join us?” Here, us follows the verb join.
- Public speeches: A speaker may say, “This responsibility belongs to all of us,” using us after the preposition of.
- Religious and historical writing: Expressions such as “Give us this day our daily bread” demonstrate us as the object of the verb give, while our separately expresses possession.
Us Synonyms
| Synonym or Related Form | Definition |
|---|---|
| we | The subject form referring to the speaker or writer and at least one other person |
| ourselves | The reflexive form referring back to “we” or “us” |
| the group | A noun phrase that can sometimes replace us when referring to a particular collective |
| all of us | An emphatic phrase referring to every member of the speaker’s group |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “us’s” ever correct?
In standard American English, us’s is not correct. It may appear in nonstandard dialect writing or as a representation of informal speech, but it should not be used in professional, academic, or edited writing.
Question 2: What is the possessive form of “us”?
Use our before a noun, as in “our decision,” and ours when the noun is understood, as in “The decision is ours.”
Question 3: Should I write “between you and us” or “between you and we”?
Write between you and us. The preposition between requires object pronouns, so us is the correct form.
Conclusion
Us is the correct standard word when referring to the speaker and others as the object of a verb or preposition. Us’s is a nonstandard possessive construction; replace it with our or ours. Pro tip: Choosing the correct pronoun form helps maintain clarity and protects your professional reputation in formal writing.
