Apostrophe

With Nouns to Show Possession Possessive form of a singular noun is usually formed by adding ’s Don – Don’s dog girl – girl’s book

books – books’ covers birds – birds’ cages If the plural noun ends in s, add only the apostrophe to make it plural. books – books’ covers birds – birds’ cages

What about irregular plural nouns that do not end in “s”? Possessive of plural nouns add ’s if the plural noun does not end in s. women – women’s hats salesmen – salesmen’s orders children – children’s playroom

BASIC RULE: For possession, add the apostrophe after the OWNER of the item. Examples: The dog’s bone is nowhere to be found. The children’s treehouse at the park is always full! The millionaires’ houses on Mountain Drive are quite impressive.

INCORRECT: Four student’s went to the game. Do not use the apostrophe to form simple plurals that are not possessive. INCORRECT: Four student’s went to the game. This word is not possessive. No apostrophe!

Apostrophe Misuse!

Do not use the apostrophe to form the present tense of verbs. INCORRECT: She run’s every afternoon. Present tense of verb. No apostrophe!

She eat’s too fast!

The Possessive of Compound Nouns A compound noun is a noun made of more than one word. Some compound nouns are joined by hyphens. Only the last part of a hyphenated noun shows possession. Jack-o-lantern +’s = jack-o-lantern’s Mother-in-law +’s= mother-in-law’s

Joint Ownership When the mane of two or more persons are used to show joint ownership, only the name of the last person is given possessive form. Ed and Joanne’s home Bob and Gregory’s project

Separate Ownership If the names of two or more persons are used to show separate ownership, each name is given possessive form. Jacob’s and Matt’s marks have improved. Mandy’s and Joe’s teeth need braces.

The Possessive of Indefinite Pronouns Use an apostrophe and s to form the possessive of indefinite pronouns. Everyone + s = everyone’s Somebody + s = somebody’s

Do not use the apostrophe to form the possessive of personal pronouns INCORRECT: your’s their’s, her’s, it’s CORRECT: yours, hers, theirs, its

It’s has only one meaning in English: The contraction for it is It’s is never possessive!

INCORRECT!

INCORRECT!

Expressions of Time and Amount When used as adjectives, words expressing time and amount are given possessive form An hour’s pay Three weeks’ wait Two months’ work

The apostrophe shows the omission of some letters or figures Omission of Letters or Figures The apostrophe shows the omission of some letters or figures Class of 93 (1993) Couldn’t (could not) We’re ( we are) It’s ( it is)

How many s’s are in your name? Ss? Fs? Plurals of Letters, Numbers, Signs Apostrophe also shows the plurals of letters, numbers, and signs, if the plural is otherwise confusing. In print such expressions are italicized. How many s’s are in your name? Ss? Fs? He used too many um’s in his talk. You don’t have enough 7s in this column.

Learn more at… The Apostrophe Protection Society: http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/ Grammar Bytes: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/apostrophe.htm