1. Apostrophes

2. Uses: Contractions and Letters
Apostrophes are used to form contractions. These are not acceptable in essays.
Examples: can’t, wouldn’t, I’m
Apostrophes are also used to form the plurals of letters of the alphabet.
Examples: p’s, q’s, A’s

3. Possession More importantly, apostrophes indicate possession.
Singular Noun Possessive:
poem’s meter
dog’s bone
book’s pages
star’s light

4. Possession Singular Proper Noun Possessive: Venus’s beauty
Dickens’s reputation
Chris’s bicycle
Mr. James’s ticket

5. Possession Plural Noun (ending in “s”) Possessive:
firefighters’ trucks
students’ backpacks
clowns’ unicycles
puppies’ paws

6. Possession Irregular Plural Noun (not ending in “s”) Possessive:
women’s studies
children’s crayons
men’s tuxedos
hippopotami’s lunches

7. Check, Please! Write one sentence that includes the following:
apostrophe with a single noun
apostrophe with a proper noun
apostrophe with a plural noun (ending in “s”)
apostrophe with an irregular plural noun (not ending in “s”)

8. Nouns in a Series Nouns in a Series (ownership shared) Possessive:
Palmer and Colton’s book on European history
The dog and cat’s owner
Jared and Franklin’s uncle

9. Nouns in a Series Nouns in a Series (ownership not shared) Possessive:
Palmer’s and Colton’s books on European history
The dog’s and cat’s owners
Jared’s and Franklin’s uncles

10. Check, Please! Correct the following sentences:
Mrs. Jones’ car is in the shop.
Joe and Cara’s toes hurt.
The mens’ choir group meets Friday.

11. Exceptions its = possession The bear liked its honey. it’s = it is
It’s not difficult.

12. Extra
Do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation or a number:
PhDs, 1990s, fours, TVs, SAT score in the 1400s
’60s