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Blackberry Device: Is Plural Blackberrys or Blackberries?

 

Here is a fun question from a reader: My wife and I each own a Blackberry. If we place thembusiness grammar together in Blackberry harmony on our table, do they become Blackberries or Blackberrys, in plural form? In other words, which is correct:

*”The Blackberries are on the table.”

Or

*”The Blackberrys are on the table.”

ANSWER:

Most words ending in “y” become plural by adding “ies.” However, this rule does not apply to family names. For example, the plural of Kennedy is Kennedys, not Kennedies.

Since the term “Blackberry” in this context refers far more to a brand name than a piece of fruit, you should follow the form that makes a family name plural. Therefore, the correct pluralization of the Blackberry phone is Blackberrys.

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Comments

Wrong. 
 
http://www.berryreview.com/2008/05/27/whats-the-plural-of-blackberry-the-definitive-answer/
Posted @ Wednesday, May 25, 2011 8:33 AM by Francois Botha
Francois – You’ve shifted the question from grammar/colloquial use to trademark. Your source addresses the legal name and trademark requirements, rather than how business people actually use the term. Even though the trademark requires the noun “Smartphones,” to be plural, not the trademarked term “Blackberry,” it’s unlikely one would say or write, “Oh no, we’ve left our Blackberry Smartphones at the restaurant.” In reality, the brand “Blackberry” often functions as the plural noun. 
 
There is a lot of grammar discussion on this topic (not sure I’d agree Wikipedia is a trusted source by the way), with nearly all grammarians in agreement that “Blackberrys” is correct plural common use form. Frankly, this level of grammar nitpicking seems off the mark to me. More germane to business writing is audience connection, relevant content, and tone. Your comment was overly blunt and did not include any context, so it missed those more important elements. 
 
I welcome all relevant contributions to this blog, and your link provides the trademark angle so it’s helpful for reader clarification. But, please, phrase your contribution with more courtesy.
Posted @ Wednesday, May 25, 2011 8:34 AM by Mary Cullen
Mary, 
 
Thanks for this article. It’s well-reasoned and consistent with more general usage guidelines. 
 
And a lot more useful than someone yelling “wrong” from the peanut gallery and then coughing up an irrelevant link.
Posted @ Wednesday, May 25, 2011 8:35 AM by M. McKenzie
Comments have been closed for this article.