Apostrophes Use an apostrophe to show possession Singular: put the apostrophe before an s Roland’s sword Mom’s meatloaf recipe Unless the word ends in s and an ‘s would be awkward Mr. Rodgers’ class the witness’s testimony

Apostrophes Plural: put the apostrophe after the s The players’ uniforms the volunteers’ efforts Form the possessive of the last word in a compound word or when showing joint possession: brother-in-law’s Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s plan

Apostrophes Form the possessive of each noun in a word group when showing individual possession Shakespeare’s and Miller’s plays Contractions: use apostrophes to show where characters have been replaced Let us = let’s You will = you’ll Do not = don’t

Apostrophes The only time you use apostrophes for plurals is with letters, numbers, and words referred to as words. Mind your p’s and q’s. Don’t use so many and’s in your writing.