With Proper Nouns  (Inman, 2015) This lesson provides an overview of the three English language uses of the apostrophe with emphasis on the apostrophe’s use with proper nouns. A noun is classified as a common noun or proper noun. Proper nouns are the capitalized names of specific persons, places or things. The correct use of apostrophes with proper nouns makes writing appear more refined, easier to read and grammatically correct. Dana Payne IST511 10 November 2015

Introduction The apostrophe (’) is a special punctuation mark The apostrophe serves three purposes Omission of letters Plurals of lowercase letters Possessives of nouns This lesson covers Apostrophe use for proper nouns When not to use apostrophes The apostrophe is the same symbol as the closing ‘single’ quotation mark. The are 3 basic uses of the apostrophe: (1) With the apostrophe, the writer can indicate the omission of one or more letters in a contraction. A contraction is two words joined together and shortened by an apostrophe (like can’t - for can not and couldn’t for could not) (2) The writer can also use the apostrophe to show plural forms for lower case letters (like lowercase p and lowercase q as in minding your p’s and q’s) (3) Finally, the writer can use the apostrophe to form possessiveness of common and proper nouns. Proper nouns are capitalized names of specific persons, places or things. Choosing how to use an apostrophe can be challenging because similar rules apply to the use of apostrophes with common and proper nouns. Three rules to learn from his lesson include when to use apostrophe followed by and s for proper nouns ending in s, not ending in s, and ending in a silent s.

Apostrophe's for Proper Nouns Rule 1 - Proper Noun does not end in “s” - use ‘s Sigmund Freud’s patient The Boston Globe’s sports page The 6th edition of the American Psychological Association’s style guide calls for adding an apostrophe and an s, even when the proper noun ends in s Rule number 1, when forming possessives with a proper noun that does not end in “s,” the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. For example - Sigmund Freud's patient, the Boston Globe’s sports page. image from http://www.biography.com/people/sigmund-freud-9302400 image from http://cache.boston.com/sports/patriots/photos/page1_020204.jpg

Apostrophe's for Proper Nouns Rule 2 - Proper Noun ends in “s” – use ‘s Charles Dickens’s books Jesus’s Disciples Rule number 2, when forming possessives with a proper noun that ends in “s,” the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s. For example - Charles Dickens’s books, Jesus’s Disciples. image from http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7d/9b/AChristmasCarol.jpg?itok=bW6h2en2 image from http://www.turnbacktogod.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Jesus-washing-feet-01.jpg  (How to Use Apostrophes, n.d.)

Apostrophe's for Proper Nouns Rule 3 - Proper Noun ends in silent “s” - use ‘ French philosopher René Descartes’ novel Rule number 3, when forming possessives with a proper noun that ends in a silent “s,” the possessive is formed by adding only an apostrophe. For example - French philosopher René Descartes’ novel. image from http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2015/6/11/1434040042711/Ren--Descartes-008.jpg  (How to Use Apostrophes, n.d.)

When NOT to use and Apostrophe Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive pronouns whose, ours, his, hers, or its Do not use an apostrophe in nouns that are plural, but not possessive, such as CDs, 1000s, or 1960s. Do not use an apostrophe in any verbs. Apostrophes sometimes incorrectly show up in verbs that end in -s, such as marks, sees, or finds. Never use an apostrophe for possessive pronouns like yours or theirs, with plural nouns that are not possessive 1800s and never use an apostrophe in any verbs.  (How to Use Apostrophes, n.d.)

Summary Use an apostrophe followed by a s for proper nouns that do not end in a silent s Use an apostrophe for proper nouns ending in a silent s When writing with proper nouns ending not ending in a silent s, use an apostrophe followed by an s to indicate possessiveness. When writing with proper nouns ending ending in a silent s, use an apostrophe followed by an s to indicate possessiveness.

References Gongol, B. (2014, January 24). Friday, January 24, 2014 Apostrophe S = Love...Sometimes. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://www.bridgetgongol.com/2014/01/apostrophe-s-lovesometimes.html How to Use Apostrophes. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2015, from http://www.scribendi.com/advice/using_apostrophes.en.html Inman, M. (2015). How to use an apostrophe. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe Krupa, T. (2013, June 20). Forming Possessives With Singular Names. Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/06/forming- possessives-with-singular-names.html http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/06/forming-possessives-with-singular- names.html The Apostrophe. (2012, February 22). Retrieved November 9, 2015, from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/