How to Properly Use an Apostrophe

The apostrophe is one of the most misused punctuations in the United States. A vast majority of us certainly know the difference between a possessive noun and a plural noun, but it boggles the mind how many times these two forms are used interchangeably. The apostrophe may be small, but it is of monstrous importance in the writing world and when not used correctly, can create considerable confusion. This is especially true when used with the letter “s.” For each of the following examples, you should know exactly what message you want to get across to your reader before assuming that an apostrophe is needed. Sometimes you don’t need one.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• computer with word processing software, or a typewriter, or a pen/pencil and paper

1. Know the difference between a plural and a possessive noun: Should your noun show ownership with an apostrophe and the letter “s,” or should it show many of one particular noun? For example: “The cat’s tail is orange and black,” or “Mark’s cell phone kept disconnecting.” The apostrophe shows that the tail belongs to the cat, and the cell phone belongs to Mark. This is different than a plural noun. For example: “We have three cats in our home.” The cats don’t own anything in that sentence; the “s” is simply showing that there is more than one cat.

2. Show ownership when a noun ends with “s”: When a plural noun ends with “s,” you can simply place the apostrophe after the word, but without the extra “s.” (Some may argue this point, depending on which rules of grammar your follow and what country you’re from.) For example: “The banks’ vaults are secured electronically.” There is more than one bank, and each bank has a vault.

3. Show ownership when a proper name ends with “s”: This usually works for proper names, too. You might leave out the extra “s” (see the alternative answers in the example below), especially since most publishing companies do the same. For example: “Janis’ clothes always look good on her.” (Alternative: “Janis’s”) Feel free to use the extra “s” if you want, just be consistent.

4. Create a Contraction: You can also find the apostrophe as part of a contraction, which does NOT show ownership. A contraction is merely two words – usually a pronoun and a verb – that were put together to create a new word. Here are some examples of contractions, with the formal (non-contracted) phrase following each sentence: “They’ll be arriving this summer.” (They will), or “I’m starting a home-based business.” (I am), or “She’d love to go to London.” (She would)

5. Know the Spelling Differences: When you are looking at or writing a sentence, a good rule of thumb is to ask, “Would the sentence still make sense if I take the apostrophe out and separate the contraction?” For example: “You forgot you’re raincoat.” Separate the contraction and you have “you are,” which make no sense in the sentence. “You’re” is not the same as “Your.” Check your spelling.

6. Remember the Exception of “ITS”: There’s one big exception to the possessive noun use of the apostrophe, and here it is: ITS. That’s right. This tiny word gives so many people so much trouble that it’s worth going over the apostrophe usage: “See that gopher? It’s digging a hole,” or “See that alien? Its spaceship is in my backyard. Weird!” Which example does NOT show ownership? The “spaceship” (noun) belongs to the alien, but the “digging” (verb!) does not belong to the gopher. The first example is merely telling us that the gopher is performing the action of digging. That’s all.

Tips & Warnings

• Notice that the possessive form of “its” is spelled without an apostrophe, but the contraction form is still the same: “It’s = It is.”