The Apostrophe How to Use It Without Suffering Too Much

First of all, Don’t feel bad— hardly anyone knows how to use them correctly

They appear to be the most random of punctuation marks

And hardly anyone notices when they’re misused

And they are often misused

Did I say no one really notices?

Well, except for Grammar Nazis

When do you use apostrophes? You use them to form contractions; and To show possession.

Use an Apostrophe to Form Contractions Use an apostrophe to indicate the omission of letters from words. It should be placed immediately above the point of omission: –The man isn’t here. The man is not here. –It’s time to begin the test. It is time to begin the test. –I graduated with the class of ’74. I graduated with the class of –She got home at eleven o’clock She got home at eleven of the clock (you didn’t know that one, did you?)

Click here for a link to a kids’ video on using apostrophes to form contractions You should be able to click on the back arrow and return to the presentation

Use an Apostrophe to Indicate Possession

Two Rules for Making Nouns Possessive Rule 1: Add an apostrophe and s (‘s) to form the possessive of singular nouns and of plurals that do not end in s. –The giant rabbit of Harvey Harvey’s giant rabbit –The annoying cough of the man The man’s annoying cough –The philosophy of Aristotle Aristotle’s philosophy Rule 2: Add an apostrophe (‘) to form the possessive of plural nouns that end in s. –The cheers of the cheerleaders The cheerleaders’ cheers –The smell of the flowers The flowers’ smell –The teachings of Jesus Jesus’ teachings

Click here for a kids’ video on forming the possessive with the apostrophe-s or just the apostrophe. You should be able to click on the back arrow and return to the presentation.

Distinguish between Possessives and Plurals You have to be able to distinguish between a possessive and a simple plural. –A plural may be followed by a verb, prepositional phrase or nothing at all. –Words that show possession will end in s, like plurals, but will be immediately followed by something that is being possessed, as in Dad’s favorite necktie.

POSSESSIVEPLURAL The carpenter’s toolsTwo of the carpenters are out sick today. Two weeks’ vacationI’ll be back in two weeks. Father’s DayThe fathers in the class built a race car. The queen’s daughterThe queens had a party for their daughters. The dishwasher’s rinse cycle We've bought three dishwashers from Sears.

Apostrophes!!!