The Joy of Apostrophes! Curriculum links Rs/L1.2 Use punctuation to help their understanding (a) understand the function of the omissive apostrophe to indicate an contracted word form in texts written in an informal style (b) understand the use of the possessive apostrophe to show ownership or close link Ws/L2.4 Punctuate sentences correctly, and use punctuation correctly (e.g. commas, apostrophes, inverted commas) (b) understand the use of the apostrophe to show a missing letter(s) (e.g. they're, we've, I'm) (c) know the full verb equivalents and that the writer can choose short or full forms depending on the formality required (d) understand the difference between it's (it is) and its (belonging to it) (e) understand the use of the apostrophe to show where a final -s indicates that something belongs to someone/thing Level 2 Functional English Punctuate written text using commas, apostrophes and inverted commas accurately April Kindly contributed by Sanchia Hylton-Smith, Exeter College. Search for Sanchia on April Kindly contributed by Sanchia Hylton-Smith, Exeter College. Search for Sanchia on

The Joy of Apostrophes! Photos from various sites including: and

We use apostrophes to indicate missing letters (omission) when we shorten words: We ’ ll It ’ s They ’ re It ’ ll Shouldn ’ t Can ’ t He ’ s The rule is that the apostrophe goes where the missing letter or letters would be.

We use apostrophes to indicate possession: I drove Mary ’ s car. (The car belonging to Mary.) I reformatted the computer ’ s hard drive. (The hard drive belonging to the computer.)

Now for the tricky bit! Sometimes things belong to more than one person or object. If the plural ends in ‘s’ (and it often does!) the apostrophe goes on the outside of the word: The dogs ’ bowl is dirty. (More than one dog uses the bowl.) I reformatted the computers ’ hard drives. (More than one computer.)

Some plurals do not end in ‘s’. If this is the case, the apostrophe goes before the ‘s’: The geese ’ s honking drove me nuts! The children ’ s game was a bit loud and messy.

Here are some everyday examples that have made our little friend cry!

A note of caution!! We do not use apostrophes with personal pronouns as they already indicate ownership. The dog is wagging it ’ s tail  MEANS The dog is wagging it is tail  ?