The whys and the hows

Question

Are apostrophes needed in this phrase?

The whys and the hows

I searched for duplicate questions, but the closest I found was in regard to words inside quotes.

Answer 1

I would say no, but I think I would put them in quotation marks. 'The "whys" and the "hows" of apostrophes aren't easy to understand.'

Answer 2

Actually I was searching for something similar today, and I came across this.

I think it's quite similar to what you're asking :

When forming the plural of words and hyphenated phrases that aren’t nouns but are used as nouns sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t:

• I want no ifs or buts.
• Here are the dos and don’ts of blogging.
• I’ve written 25 thank-yous.

BUT

I’m tired of all his maybe’s

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 3

In English, apostrophes indicate either possession or omission.

An example of possession might be

The cat's bed,

Or, in the plural,

The cats' bed.

(A good example of an omission is in a contraction, such as isn't for is not."

But an apostrophe is not often (correctly) used it English to mark a plural of a regular noun. (However, decades or centuries (80's, 90's, 1500's), and some brands and abbreviations (M&M's, sometimes Lego's) may have an apostrophe; it depends on what style you adhere to.)

But, to answer your question directly, there should be no apostrophes in that phrase. It's correct as-is.

NOTE: Sometimes you will see an apostrophe before a final -s that does indeed mark a plural. Ben Franklin (if I recall correctly) and his contemporaries would do this. There are also technical contexts where it might be done (although more often with past tense verbs (e.g. malloc()'d)).

Answer 4

The rule on apostrophes on plurals applies if the word in question is a bona fide word as a plural. My dictionary shows the plural of "why" with a simple "s." Ditto other words such as "wheres" "hows" "buts" "wherefores" "ands" and "ifs" but, oddly, no "therefores."