How to Use 's and s' Correctly

Very simple, yet often misused

In the grammar world, there is often confusion when using 's and s'. Whether you are a writer or someone who is simply filling out a job resume, this advice is very practical and extremely important when it comes to using the proper placement of the apostrophe.

Things You'll Need

• Your brain

Instructions

1. 

   The apostrophe is most often used in showing possession. For example, if Jeremy has a computer, it is "Jeremy's computer."

   Ex. Jeremy's computer is working very quickly.
   Robert's knee has been hurting him.
   My dog's favorite toy is the squeaky one.
   These sentences are referring to something that someone owns.

2. 

   Another one that tends to confuse people is the s'. The common question is, when do you use it? S' is used when something is already plural, for example, "boys." S' is also used when referring to possession.

   For example, "Can you tell me where the girls' bathroom is?"
   Since the word "girls" is already plural, the apostrophe is to be added after the "s" to show possession.

   Ex. It was a four days' journey.
   Again, since "days" is already plural, all you have to do is place the apostrophe after the s in "days."

   Another example: The students' desks are old and need to be replaced.
   There is more than one student, therefor it is plural, and you, once again, place the apostrophe AFTER the s.

3. 

   Another confusing aspect of the s' is when referring to someone who has a name ending in s. For example, the name Myles can confuse you when you're talking about his television.

   Ex. Myles' television broke during shipment.
   The apostrophe always goes after the s when a person's name ends in s.

4. 

   Now comes the big one.. the contraction of it's and its. This is a very common mistake people often make in their writing, but it is very easy. "It's" is simply a shorter way of saying IT IS.

   It's = It is.
   Its = Possession.

   Example: Tell her it's going to be an all day event.
   Make sure it's daylight before you get out of bed.
   It's only a few days away!

   Example: The dog wagged its tail.
   The lion roared its loudest roar
   My computer keeps losing its speed.

Tips & Warnings

• Always recheck your articles and other documents before publishing or sending to an employer.

• "Its," when used as a possessive noun, never takes an apostrophe.

• "It is," when contracted to it's, always takes an apostrophe, to indicate that the "i" has been left out in "it is."

• There are several other words that are commonly used with 's to show a contraction. For example, who's, what's, where's, there's, he's, she's, etc.

• NOTE: When you are talking about a whole family and using their last name, you do not use an apostrophe. If you were to send a card to the Johnson family, it would simply be sent to the "Johnsons."

Resources

• Owl at Purdue Writing Guide