1. Teacher-of-Literacy.com
Key Skills
Apostrophes

2. Apostrophes Objectives:
Reading: To learn how to recognise the use of the apostrophe to show possession and omission
Writing: To learn how to use the apostrophe to show possession and omission

3. What Are Possessive Apostrophes?
Apostrophes are used to show that someone or something belongs to another person or thing.
For Example: Ben owns a bike. It is Ben’s bike.
The dog has a tail. It is the dog’s tail.
The owner always gets the apostrophe plus ‘s’ after its name. However, if the owner is more than one person the ‘s’ is dropped. For example: The boys’ cricket team. The apostrophe goes after ‘boys’ to show that the team belongs to a group of boys not just one and the ‘s’ is dropped.

4. Possessive Apostrophes
Use the possessive apostrophe to shorten these sentences. The first one has been done for you:
The pencil case belongs to Adele.
Adele’s pencil case.
The photograph taken by Billy.
The wings of the dove.
The house where the twins live.
The behaviour of the pupils.
The party for dad.
The essay written by Curtis.
The diary of Sarah.

5. Check your understanding
Did you get these right?
Adele’s pencil case.
Billy’s photograph.
The dove’s wings.
The twins’ house.
The pupils’ behaviour.
Dad’s party.
Curtis’s essay.
Sarah's diary.

6. How are Apostrophes used to show omission?
Apostrophes are also used to show that a letter has been missed out.
For Example: ‘I am going home’ becomes ‘I’m going home’. The apostrophe replaces the letter ‘a’.
The omission of letters that are replaced by an apostrophe is used more frequently in informal writing.
You will often use apostrophes to show omission when writing spoken language.

7. Apostrophes to show Omitted Letters
Use the apostrophe to show missing letters in these sentences:
I did not want to go home.
They can not be serious.
Have you not finished eating?
What is the weather like?
I do not know.
When is the last bus home?
She would not let me help.
I would love to be a millionaire.

8. Check Your Understanding
How did you do? Give yourself one mark for each correct sentence.
I didn’t want to go home.
They can’t be serious.
Haven’t you finished eating?
What’s the weather like?
I don’t know.
When’s the last bus home?
She wouldn’t let me help.
I’d love to be a millionaire.