Apostrophes or quotation marks (') in English are used for two things: to indicate the omission of certain numbers or letters (contraction) and to indicate possession (possessive). The rules for using apostrophes vary depending on the type of word. Apostrophes help keep your writing short, concise, and clear.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Apostrophes to Show Possessives (Possessive Apostrophes)
Step 1. Use an apostrophe to show ownership by a proper noun (a noun that shows the name of a specific person, place, or thing)
An apostrophe with an "s" after a proper noun indicates that the person, place, or thing has any noun that follows its name. For example, " Mary's lemons." We know the lemon belongs to Mary because it's. Other examples are "China's foreign policy" and "the orchestra's conductor".
Possession with certain nouns can be a little tricky. "Sunday's football game" isn't technically correct (since Sunday can't be the owner) but it's perfectly acceptable to write and say. "A hard day's work" is also true, although day cannot be the owner
Step 2. Be consistent when you use an apostrophe after a word that ends in an "s"
If someone's name ends in an "s", using an apostrophe without an "s" is acceptable, but linguists according to the Chicago Manual of Style, along with others, choose to add an "s" after the apostrophe.
- Note the differences in their use:
- Thank you: Jones' house; Francis' window; Enders' family.
- More preferable: Jones's house; Francis's windows; Enders' family.
- Whichever writing style you use, be consistent. It doesn't matter which policy you apply, the important thing is that you use it consistently.
Step 3. Don't use apostrophes to show ownership when using " it"
The sentence "China's foreign policy" is correct, but let's say the reader already knows that you are discussing China, and you want to change the name of that country to "it". If you want to refer to something that China has by using it, write "its foreign policy".
This is to avoid confusion between "its" which is used for ownership and "it's" which is used for contraction of "it is". If you are unsure whether to use an apostrophe or not, just write " it is " or " it has ". If it doesn't make sense (eg "it is foreign policy" cannot be a substitute for "China's foreign policy"), don't use apostrophes
Step 4. Use an apostrophe to show ownership by a plural noun
One of the common mistakes in using apostrophes for a plural group occurs when we want to discuss what belongs to a family. For example, let's say the Smart family lives across the street from your house and owns a boat. Then write " the Smarts' boat ", not " the Smart's boat ". Since we are talking about all members of the Smart family, so start with the plural form "Smarts". Since all members of the Smart family (probably) own the ship, add an apostrophe after the "s".
- If a family's last name ends in an "s," make it plural before an apostrophe. For example, the Williams family becomes " the Williamses " in the plural. To refer to their dog, write " the Williamses' dog ". If this last name feels awkward to pronounce like that, just say " the Williams family " and " the Williams family's dog ".
- If more than one person has an object, know where to put the apostrophe. For example, if John and Mary both have a cat, write " John and Mary's cat " instead of " John's and Mary's cat ", " John and Mary " is a noun phrase, so only one apostrophe is needed.
Part 2 of 4: Avoid Using Apostrophes for Plural Forms
Step 1. In general, don't use apostrophes to show plurals
The incorrect use of apostrophes is called greengrocer's apostrophe, because traders in English-speaking countries usually use apostrophes incorrectly. If you have more than one apple, write ' apples', no ' apple's'.
- The exception to this rule is when you want to make a single letter plural. For example, Why are there so many i's in the word "indivisibility"'?' is true, depending on the person you ask. This is just for reasons of clarity, so readers don't mistake it for an "is." However, in modern usage, it is preferable to escape the apostrophe and quote the singular letter before making it plural: Why are there so many "i"s in the word "indivisibility" ?
- For small numbers, the correct spelling is: " ones " instead of " 1's ", " fours " instead of " 4's ", or " nines " instead of " 9's." Words with numbers from ten and below are spelled only.
Step 2. Know how to use apostrophes for acronyms and years
Say you use acronyms for nouns, such as. To make the plural of CD, write "CDs", not "CD's". The same rule applies to years. Instead of writing "Spandex was popular in the 1980's", use "80s".
Apostrophes may be used for years only if they indicate the omission of numbers. For example, if we wanted to abbreviate 2005, we could write '05. In this case, the apostrophe basically acts like a contraction which serves to abbreviate
Part 3 of 4: Using Apostrophes in Contraction
Step 1. Use apostrophes in contraction
Sometimes, especially in informal writing in English, an apostrophe is used to indicate that one or more words have been omitted. For example, the word " don't " stands for " do not "; other examples are " isn't, " " wouldn't," and " can't ". Contractions can also be made with the verbs " is, " " has, " and " have ". For example, we could write " She's going to school " instead of " She is going to school ", or " He's lost the game " instead of " He has lost the game ".
Step 2. Beware of its/it's pitfalls
Use an apostrophe after the word " it " only if you want to indicate a contraction for " it is " or " it has ". ' it' is a pronoun (pronoun), and the pronoun has its own possessive form that does not use an apostrophe. For example, "That noise? It's just the dog eating its bone ". This may seem confusing, but the pattern is the same as any other form of possessive pronoun: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs.
Step 3. Avoid using contractions that are not in the dictionary
Many people use informal contractions such as "shouldn't've" or "ought". These are not actual contractions, so avoid using them in formal writing. Another mistake to avoid is using the name in contraction. For example, if you use “Bob's” as an abbreviated form of “Bob is”, this is not correct. "Bob's" is a possessive form, not a contraction. You can use pronouns for contractions such as " he's " or " she's ".
Part 4 of 4: Writing Apostrophes in Cursive Print
Step 1. When writing cursive, always connect the letter after the apostrophe with another letter
Example: when you write she's, write shes first then add the apostrophe.
Tips
- When in doubt, always remember that apostrophes are almost always used in nouns to show possession. Avoid using apostrophes for anything else.
- For singular names ending in an "s", the Chicago Manual of Style adds an "s" after the apostrophe, as in "Charles's bike". If you have an assignment that requires you to follow one of the rules, do it like that. Otherwise, other forms are also acceptable as long as you consistently use them throughout your writing.
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a compact and portable guide to writing and punctuation. Always carry this book with you when you write and open it if you are unsure about using punctuation.
Warning
- If a word ends in "y", such as " try ", be careful changing this verb. For example, " try " does not change to " try's ". The correct is " Tries ".
- Using apostrophes carelessly shows that the author does not understand the rules regarding possessive, contraction, and plural. When in doubt, it is better to abandon the use of apostrophes.
- Do not use apostrophes or quotation marks for emphasis. For example, a billboard reads: Joe Schmo, the "best" realtor in town! This will make the word " best " look sarcastic and unrealistic rather than emphasizing.
- Do not use apostrophes for names in address labels. If the last name is "Greenwood," the correct spelling is " The Greenwoods ", whereas " the Greenwood's " not true. " The Greenwoods " denotes a residence of more than one person with the last name Greenwood, not ownership.
- Never write "Her's." Her's is not in the dictionary, just as you shouldn't write "him's". Remember that possessive pronouns don't need an apostrophe: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs.
