How to Use an Apostrophe S

The apostrophe has three uses: to form possessives of nouns, to show the omission of letters and to indicate certain plurals of lowercase letters. The apostrophe is one of man's plagues when it comes to punctuation. It is the most abused punctuation mark in the English language. The rules of apostrophes vary with the type of word. Learning where the apostrophe should be placed can help strengthen your writing.

Instructions

1. Place an "'s" at the end of a possessive singular noun.

   Examples:
   The girl's doll has long hair.
   The golfer's ball is lost in the lake.

2. Place an "'s" at the end of a possessive plural noun that does not end in "s."

   Examples:
   At the women's party, they will be talking about current political issues.
   The men's barbecue ended with the fire department being called.

   If the possessive form of the plural noun ends in "s" then put the apostrophe at the end of the "s."

   Examples:
   The girls' dolls have long hair.
   The golfers' balls are lost in the lake.

3. Place an "'s" at the end of personal names that end in "s," except when the name ends in an "iz" sound.

   Examples:
   Mr. Roberts's car is being towed.
   Charles's hat has blown away in the wind.
   Lloyd Bridges' sons are also actors.

4. Place the apostrophe after the "s" when referring to classical names that end in "s."

   Examples:
   Socrates' teachings still hold true today.
   Sophocles' plays were ahead of their time.

References

• PCS English Department