1. Apostrophes I can recognize an apostrophe
I can describe the ways that an apostrophe is used
I can provide examples of apostrophe use
I can recognize some common mistakes in apostrophe usage
It looks like a floating comma.

2. Apostrophes
Used in 2 Ways
Contractions
Possession

3. Can not Do not Can’t Don’t 1. Contractions
Contractions is the joining of 2 different words.
Apostrophes show that some letters are missing.
Contractions help improve the flow of your sentence.
Can not
Do not
Can’t
Don’t

4. More Contractions They are They’re We are We’re Let us Let’s We will
It is
They’re
We’re
Let’s
We’ll
It’s

5. Contractions Can Improve The Flow of A Sentence
For Example:
“I can't go, but I don't want you to go either.”
Without contractions, the sentence is choppy:
“I cannot go, but I also do not want you to go either.”

6. 2. Apostrophes Can Also Show Possession
Possession is when something or someone OWNS something.
Here's a sentence showing possession without an apostrophe:
'The laptop that Mark owns is on his desk.’
Kind of awkward, right?
Ok, let’s fix that!
'Mark's laptop is on his desk.
Yes, that is much smoother.

7. “Are we going to the house that John owns first?”
Another example without an apostrophe:
“Are we going to the house that John owns first?”
Very awkward!
Now let's see it with an apostrophe,
'Are we going to John's house first?’
So much smoother.

8. Fix These Awkward Sentences
The hat that David owns flew off his head.
David’s hat flew off his head.
The colors that belong to the ball are fading.
The ball’s colors are fading.
The teeth that belong to the lion sliced through the zebra.
The lion’s teeth sliced through the zebra.

9. One Exception
All possessives end in –’s, except for its. ‘Its’ is already in the possessive form.
DO NOT WRITE IT’S for a possessive. IT’S Always = IT IS.
Let's see that in a couple of sentences:
'The dog buried its bone in Kathy's yard.’
NOT– ‘The dog buried it’s bone in Kathy’s yard.’
'My book is so old that its cover is falling off.’
Not--- ‘My book is so old that it’s cover is falling off.’

10. What if the Word Ends with an ‘s’ ?
If the word that you want to make possessive is a family name that ends with an ‘s’, DO NOT add --’s at the end.
Just add a single apostrophe at the end with no extra ‘s’.
'We'll take the Smiths' dog in our car.’
NOT – ‘We’ll take the Smiths’s dog in our car.’
'The Simpsons' lawn needs to be mowed.’
NOT – ‘The Simpsons’s lawn needs to be mowed.’

11. Common Errors One of the most common is forgetting the apostrophe.
Examples
'Let's go to McDonalds.’ Correct: 'McDonald's’
'Whose responsible for the rent?’ Correct: 'Who's’
'Its about ten o'clock.’ Correct: 'It’s.’ We are saying 'it is' here, so we need the apostrophe.
People also commonly use 'of' instead of the contraction for 'have.’
Example
'I should OF been there.' Correct: 'should've,' which is the contraction of 'should HAVE.'

12. Summary
An apostrophe is a punctuation mark that shows where something has been removed.
It can be used in contractions.
It can also be used to show possession
When using apostrophes, avoid common mistakes like using 'it's' for the possessive 'its’. It’s = It is
Other common mistakes include forgetting the apostrophe and using 'of' when you mean to contract a word with 'have.’
Example: You should not say ‘I could of left the house.’ Instead say, ‘I could’ve left the house.’ Could’ve is a contraction of ‘could’ and ‘have’.

13. Make this girl even happier by creating a sentence that relates to this picture, but uses an apostrophe.

14. Form These Contractions
Who is She would We would They would They have We have
Who’s
She’d
We’d
They’d
They’ve
We’ve

15. Fix These Sentences (with a partner)
Jims’ socks were dirty. The girl’s mothers were waiting for them. The Melhem’s house was up for sale. Terrys’ jacket was falling off. I would of went there but I did’nt. I should of played Fortnite yesterday.
Jim’s socks were dirty.
The girls’ mothers were waiting for them.
The Melhems’ house was up for sale.
Terry’s jacket was falling off.
I would of went there but I didn’t.
I should’ve played Fortnite yesterday.

16. Fix These Sentences – By Yourself
The books cover was torn. The childrens teacher was away. The Rahmes vacation was epic. I could of caught the ball. The trucks tire exploded. Whos calling me right now?
The book’s cover was torn.
The childrens’ teacher was away.
The Rahmes’ vacation was epic.
I could’ve caught the ball.
The truck’s tire exploded.
Who’s calling me right now?

17. Fix These Sentences – Its vs It’s – With a Partner.
The cat carried it’s toy.
Its going to be a crazy summer.
This cheese is past its expiration date.
This house is more expensive than its’ neighbors.
The ball is in its bin
Its your fault that you missed the bus.
The cat carried its toy.
It’s going to be a crazy summer.
The cheese is past its expiration. (no change)
This house is more expensive than its neighbors.
The ball is in its bin. (no change)
It’s your fault that you missed the bus.