The Apostrophe What is an Apostrophe The apostrophe

The Apostrophe

What is an Apostrophe? • The apostrophe is a raised comma — like this ( ‘ ). • It is used to show possession and to punctuate contractions

Apostrophes have 2 main uses: 1. Apostrophes show you that some letters have been taken out of a word to shorten it 2. Apostrophes show you that something belongs to something else. To show belonging you add ‘s

Apostrophe – 1 Apostrophes show you that some letters have been taken out of a word to shorten it. e. g. Ø Do not becomes don’t. Ø I will becomes I'll. Ø Could have becomes could've.

Apostrophe – 1 • The apostrophe goes where the letters have been removed. • You use apostrophes this way in informal writing. • You should not shorten words when you are writing formal letters. • NOTE - sometimes words are shortened in an irregular way. The apostrophe, however, is still used to show where letters are missing. e. g. Will not becomes won't.

Apostrophes – 2 Apostrophes show you that something belongs to something else. To show belonging you add 's e. g. ØThe cat's tail - says that the tail belongs to the cat. ØThe car's lights - says that the lights belong to the car. ØTony's hair - says that the hair belongs to Tony.

Apostrophes – 2 ØUsually the apostrophe goes before the s. If the owner already ends in s then the apostrophe goes after the s that is already there. You just need to add an apostrophe. e. g. ØThe dogs' bowls - says that the bowls belong to some dogs. ØThe boys' coats - says that the coats belong to some boys. ØThe cars' wheels - says that the wheels belong to some cars.

Apostrophes – 2 ØWatch out for plurals that don't end in s. Words like men and children don't end in s, but they are talking about lots of people. These words use 's to show possession. e. g. ØThe men's hats - says that the hats belong to the men. ØThe women's house - says that the house belongs to the women

Singular vs. Plural The girl’s dress The girls’ dresses The lady’s bag The ladies’ bags The boy’s pencil The boys’ pencils A day’s work Seven days’ work The man’s pipe The men’s pipes The woman’s glove The women’s gloves The child’s clothes The children’s clothes

Exceptions In the singular form it is shown by ‘s e. g. • Gemma’s bag • Peter’s watch

Exemptions However there are exceptions, as it may be shown by the apostrophe only (‘) to avoid awkward sounding double or treble s endings e. g. • Moses’ scandal • Jesus’ words • Iris’ car