APOSTROPHES

1. Apostrophes indicate the omission of letters or numbers. Did not can be changed to didn’t. The apostrophe indicates the omission of

“o” from the word “not.” (This change results in a contraction.) 1942 can be changed to ‘42. The apostrophe indicates the omission of “19.”

2. Apostrophes indicate possession. With a singular noun that does not end in “s,” add an “‘s.”

o Compare: The shoe belongs to RudyIt is Rudy’s shoe.

o Compare: The shoe belongs to MarcusIt is Marcus’s shoe.

With nouns that you have made plural by adding an “s,” add only the “’.” o Compare: The inheritance goes to the three dogs.

It is the dogs’ inheritance.

o Compare: Tim and Katie Hopkins own that bar.It is the Hopkins’ bar.

Sometimes the noun is already plural without adding an “s.” In such cases, you do not add an “s’;” but an “’s.”

o Compare: The toys belong to the children.They are the children’s toys.

(Note: Possessive pronouns [its, hers, his, theirs, yours] never require apostrophes to show possession.)

It’s versus its: It’s is reserved for the contraction of “it” and “is” (see rule 1 above). Its indicates possession (see rule 2 above).

o Compare: It’s her car.Its brakes are failing.

Who’s versus whose: Who’s is reserved for the contraction of “who” and “is” (see rule 1 above). Whose indicates possession (see rule 2 above).

o Compare: Who’s going to the party?Whose party is it?

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Detection of apostrophe errors: The difficulty with apostrophes is that we can’t hear them. Thus, although we naturally add an s to make an item possessive, we forget to add the apostrophe. If you have trouble with apostrophes, it might be worth your effort to highlight every noun in your essay that ends with an s. Then ask yourself why you added the s. Did you need to make the noun plural? Did you need to show that the noun that follows is possessed by the first noun? Did you need to do both—make the item plural and show possession? Highlighting these nouns will force you to consider WHY you added the s and will lead you to punctuating the word properly.

Apostrophe PracticeAdd, move, or delete apostrophes as needed in the paragraph below.

My aunts house is always really enjoyable to visit in the summer. She doesnt live near any towns or cities, but thats just great because your time is your’s. This place of her’s is actually great because its so isolated. Back in the 40s, the house served as a childrens’ home; in the ’60s, it functioned as a summer home for Jerry Lewis family. Now its just the place for me and my aunt to escape from the worlds hectic pace.

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Answer Key:My aunt’s house is always really enjoyable to visit in the summer. She doesn’t live near any towns or cities, but that’s just great because your time is yours. This place of hers is perfect because it’s so isolated. Back in the ’40s, the house served as a children’s home; in the ’60s, it functioned as a summer home for Jerry Lewis’s family. Now it’s just the place for me and my aunt to escape from the world’s hectic pace.