1. Apostrophes

2. Rule 1
Use the apostrophe with contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed.
Examples: don't, isn't, can’t, wouldn’t, won’t, etc. You're very smart.  She's a great teacher.
He’s my best friend.
Johnny’s the best guy I know.
The river’s dirty.

3. Rule 2
Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession.
Examples: The boy's hat is red. The woman's hat is black. The dog’s fur is brown.  The child's pizza looks tasty.  Ms. Chang's house is lovely.

4. Rule 2 continued…
NOTE: Names ending in s are not required to have the second s added in possessive form. It is your choice.
Examples: Mr. Jones's golf clubs OR Mr. Jones’ golf clubs Texas's weather OR Texas’ weather  Ms. Straus's daughter OR Ms. Straus’ daughter Chris’s notebook OR Chris’ notebook Charles’s jacket OR Charles’ jacket

5. Rule 3
To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe. If the plural word did not end in s, add the s after the apostrophe.
Examples: The three boys' baseball hats are dirty. Two actresses' hats were stolen. Three children's bikes were yellow.  The Changs' house is big. The ladies’ husbands were proud.  The bees’ hive is full of honey.
The women’s dresses are blue.

6. Rule 4
Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item.
Examples: Cesar and Maribel's home is constructed of brick. Jenny and Susan’s brother is peculiar.
David and Barry’s cat is insane.

7. Plural words
An apostrophe does NOT make a word plural!!! For example, if you want to make the word tree plural, it is simply trees NOT tree’s. Book = books (NOT book’s) Dragon = dragons (NOT dragon’s) An apostrophe is only used with a plural word when that plural word is in possession (owning something). Example: The houses’ driveways were covered with snow.

8. A big, confusing exception!
its and it’s It’s means it is or it has. Always! Its shows possession. The dog ate its bone. The tree shed its leaves.