Apostrophes are a common source of confusion for many writers.
They needn't be, though, and this easy-to-follow article will help you to use them properly.
Let's start with a very simple explanation of what a noun is.
(Don't worry, this will be the only jargon in the entire article. I promise.)
A NOUN is a word that stands for a person or thing. Examples include "dog", "Tim", "love", "house" and "Ireland".
SINGULAR NOUNS stand for a single person or thing; for example, "chair". PLURAL NOUNS stand for several people or things; for example, "chairs".
Part 1. Using apostrophes to indicate possession
The most common use of an apostrophe is to indicate possession by a person or thing of some other person or thing. For example: "John's book" or "Europe's history".
Using an apostrophe to indicate possession is really quite straight forward, yet it's a frequent source of confusion. There are two separate cases to consider: singular nouns and plural nouns.
Singular nouns
When a noun is singular (i.e. it stands for a single person or thing) we show possession by adding apostrophe–s. For example:
the girl's book
Japan's recovering economy
the princess's gown
Mauritius's beaches
the cat's whiskers
Summary: Singular nouns are made possessive by adding apostrophe–s.
Plural nouns
When a noun is plural (i.e. it stands for a several people or things) we show possession by adding s–apostrophe. For example:
the CEOs' perks
(the perks of two or more CEOs)
the players' pride
(the pride of two or more players)
the programmers' books
(the books belonging to two or more programmers)
the boys' games
(the games belonging to two or more boys)
Summary: Plural nouns are made possessive by adding s–apostrophe.
An exception
As with many rules, there is an exception. This one concerns nouns that form their plural without adding an s. For example: woman/women, person/people, sheep/sheep and child/children.
Words like this take apostrophe–s in both their forms. For example:
the woman's idea
(the idea belonging to one woman)
the women's idea
(the idea belonging to two or more women)
the child's gift
(the gift belonging to one child)
the children's gift
(the gift belonging to two or more children)
Summary: Nouns that become plural without using an "s" (e.g. woman/women) are made possessive by adding apostrophe–s to both forms.
Part 2. Using apostrophes to indicate missing letters
Another use of the apostrophe is to indicate missing letters in contractions such as "isn't", "doesn't" and "can't". For example:
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Full form Shortened form
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can not can't
do not don't
does not doesn't
I will I'll
is not isn't
it is it's
let us let's
shall not shan't
there is there's
you are you're
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You'll notice that the apostrophe appears in place of the omitted letter or letters. For example, in contracting "is not" to "isn't" the apostrophe replaces the missing "o".
But consider contracting "shall not" to "shan't". If we put an apostrophe in place of the missing letters, shouldn't it be written "sha'n't"? After all, we've left out both "l"s and an "o".
It's a valid point. Indeed, until a few generations ago, "sha'n't" was a commonly encountered spelling. Today, though, it is rarely if ever seen.
That's all there is to it. Practise those simple rules, and you'll be the local expert on apostrophes.
By Tim North,
Perth, Western Australia
info@betterwritingskills.com
http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
