1. APOSTROPHES

2.  An apostrophe is used either to indicate possession or to mark missing letters in a word.  When it is used to indicate possession, it appears either right before or right after the s at the end of the possessive noun. APOSTROPHES

3.  Peter’s new car is extremely expensive  Women’s issues will be important in the next election  The girls’ room will be renovated this summer.  The apostrophe tells us that the car belongs to Peter.  If the noun in possession is singular – as in the case of Peter – the apostrophe falls before the “s.” APOSTROPHES AND POSSESSION

4.  If the noun in possession is singular and ends in “s” – such as “boss” – add an apostrophe and “s” if the possessive form would be pronounced as would the plural form (in this case, “boss’s” is pronounced “bosses”).  The ACT does not test the few exceptions to this rule. APOSTROPHES AND POSSESSION

5.  If it is plural and it doesn’t end in “s” – as in the case of women – the apostrophe falls before the “s.”  If it is plural and it ends in “s” – as in the case of girls – the apostrophe falls after the “s.” APOSTROPHES AND POSSESSION

6.  The ACT people seem very interested in whether you know when an apostrophe is unnecessary; some apostrophe questions require you to drop an apostrophe.  Remember, for the apostrophe to be correct when forming a possessive, the noun containing it must be followed by another noun or an adjective and a noun.  Peter’s new car  Women’s issues  Girls’ room APOSTROPHES AND POSSESSION

7. Martz, Geoff, Kim Magloire, and Theodore Silver. Cracking the ACT. 2007 ed. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. WORKS CITED