1. Abused Apostrophes A story with a happy ending

2. All over the country punctuation enthusiasts are horrified by the terrible abuse suffered by innocent little punctuation marks... But now there’s hope...

3. In a small shelter in rural Hardin County, apostrophes are being cared for by a select group of punctuation enthusiasts.

4. Here these little fellows can mingle in a safe environment with other survivors of apostrophe abuse...

5. Hopefully they will one day recover And return to the community where they can lead useful lives... In showing possession..

6. You may enter the Abused Apostrophe Shelter through this door... But be prepared for some shocking sights...

7. The abuse is hideous...

8. Sooooo... All children get Easter eggs, but only one teenager????

9. Well, yes it does, doesn’t it?

10. We were sorry to hear about Glady’s May.... But even sorrier to hear about Gladys...

11. Thankfully, you can help end the abuse.

12. It’s easy. Just follow a few simple rules to show possession The apostrophe has only a handful of uses, but these uses are very important. A misplaced apostrophe can be annoying — not to mention lonely.

13. THE APOSTROPHE 1. to create possessives 2. to show contractions 3. to create some plural forms The apostrophe is used:

14. THE APOSTROPHE The apostrophe is used to create possessive forms for singular and plural nouns, especially nouns referring to people. possessive forms the mayor ’ s car, my father ’ s moustache Pedrito ’ s sister, Joe Kennedy ’ s habits

15. THE APOSTROPHE When a noun already ends in “s,” you can decide whether or not to use another “s” after the apostrophe. Charles ’ s car OR Charles ’ car Dumas ’ second novel, Jesus ’ birth, Socrates ’ ideas, Illinois ’ legislature With multi-syllable words, don’t add another “s” after the apostrophe.

16. THE APOSTROPHE To form the possessive of a thing, we’re usually better off using an “of phrase,” but the apostrophe possessive can be used The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd a year ’ s salary, my heart ’ s desire, your dollar ’ s worth, the paper ’ s conclusion

17. THE APOSTROPHE To form the possessive of a plural noun, we make it plural first and then add the apostrophe. The Kennedys ’ house The children ’ s playhouse The travelers ’ expectations Notice that with an irregular plural, the apostrophe will come before the “s.”

18. Apostrophe Practice The girls locker room The papers edges The papers edge The Ambassadors Hotel ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

19. THE APOSTROPHE A contraction allows us to omit letters. The apostrophe shows where something is left out. I am a student here = I ’ m a student here. I have been working on the railroad. = I ’ ve been working on the railroad. They could have been great together. = They could ’ ve been great together.

20. THE APOSTROPHE More contraction examples: Let us go. = Let ’ s go. Who is there? = Who ’ s there? It is Dierdre. = It ’ s Dierdre. REMINDER: It’s is a contraction for “it is”; the possessive of it = its (no apostrophe).

21. THE APOSTROPHE The apostrophe is also used to form the plural of numbers and letters... The word Mississippi has four s ’ s. She got three A ’ s and two B ’ s last semester. She dotted all her i ’ s very carefully.... and to indicate omission of a number in a date: summer of ’ 99; class of ’ 38

22. THE APOSTROPHE The apostrophe doesn’t mind being used, but it wants to be used wisely. You can practice the apostrophe and the other marks of punctuation in your grammar book.

23. THE APOSTROPHE Remember the simple rules for apostrophe use: 1. to create possessives 2. to show contractions 3. to create some plural forms The apostrophe is used:

24. Help Stop the Abuse