Apostrophes You Gotta Have ‘em!

What Does an Apostrophe Do? An apostrophe has two functions: An apostrophe is used to show possession or ownership Susie’s book John’s parents An apostrophe is used to form contractions Can’t I’m

Forming Possessives of Nouns Add an apostrophe and –s to show the possessive case of most singular nouns The leaf of the shrub the shrub’s leaf Notice that with a singular noun ending in –s, you may still use an apostrophe and –s to form the possessive The check of the waitress the waitress’s check

Possessive Nouns, cnt. Add an apostrophe to show the possessive case of plural nouns ending in –s or –es. The t-shirts of the boys the boys’ t-shirts The uniforms of the sailors the sailors’ uniforms

Possessive nouns, cnt. Add an apostrophe and an –s to show the possessive case of plural nouns that do not end in –s or –es. The suits of the men the men’s suits The toys of the children the children’s toys

Compound Noun Possessives Add an apostrophe and –s (or just an apostrophe if the word is a plural ending in –s) to the last word of a compound noun to form the possessive Johnny and Susie’s parents The Chief Justice’s decision

Joint and Individual Ownership Sometimes people share ownership and sometimes several people claim individual ownership To show joint ownership, make the final noun possessive. To show individual ownership, make each noun possessive Will and Martin’s dog Susan’s, Marie’s, and Alice’s papers

Forming Possessives of pronouns Do not use an apostrophe with the possessive forms of personal pronouns. The possessive forms of personal pronouns (his, hers, its, our, yours, theirs, and so on) already show possession. Thus, they do not need apostrophes. His old car That house of ours

Forming Contractions A contraction is formed by removing a letter or letters from an expression and replacing the missing letter(s) with an apostrophe. Cannot can’t were not weren’t Should not shouldn’t will not won’t She will she’ll we will we’ll He would he’d they would they’d They have they’ve you are you’re I am I’m Michael is Michael’s

Contractions and Formal Writing Contractions should be used sparingly in formal writing. Reserve them to add flavor to dialogue. In other cases, write out the words. Don’t Be Lazy!

Try this exercise! http://phschool.com/atschool/writing_grammar/ruby/grammar_practice_activities/chapter27/wag11_act_27-6_a.html