In English, the apostrophe is used for various reasons: as an abbreviation or contraction within a word or to express possessiveness. The rules vary according to the type of word. Here's how to stop making mistakes.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Apostrophes to Indicate Possessiveness
Step 1. The apostrophe can be used when facing the Saxon genitive
Inserting it before the s after a proper name means that the person, place or thing possesses what is followed by the s. Example: Mary's lemons., China's foreign policy, The orchestra's conductor.
Possessiveness can be misleading with certain proper names. Saying Sunday's football game is not technically correct from a semantic point of view, as Sunday is incapable of owning anything. However, it is perfectly acceptable to say and write A hard day's work, despite not even the day being able to own anything. You will have to rely on the context and habits of the written and oral language
Step 2. But what to do with words ending in s?
In this case, put the apostrophe after the s at the end of the term or add both the apostrophe and the s after the word:
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Notice the difference:
- Acceptable: Jones' house; Francis' window; Enders' family.
- Preferable: Jones's house; Francis's window; Enders's family.
- Whichever style you prefer, use it consistently, without jumping from one possibility to another in the same text.
Step 3. Don't use an apostrophe when using the possessive adjective its
Saying China's foreign policy is correct, but if you were already writing about China and want to discuss its foreign policy, you will need to write Its foreign policy.
This is to avoid the confusion that is often generated between its, possessive adjective and pronoun, and it's, contraction of it is and it has. If you are unsure while writing, try replacing its with it is or it has in the sentence Its foreign policy. Does it make sense to say It is foreign policy or It has foreign policy?
Step 4. And to indicate the possession of a noun in the plural?
The apostrophe is inserted after the final s. Let's take the phrase The Smart family lives across the street from you and owns a boat. To say that the boat belongs to the Smart, you will not write The Smart's boat, but The Smarts' boat, because you are talking about all the members of the Smart family, therefore of the Smarts. Since the boat belongs to everyone, you will add the apostrophe after the final s.
- If the family surname ends in s, create its plural before adding the apostrophe. For example, if you want to talk about the Williams family, they will become the Williamses in the plural. To say "the Williams dog", you would then write the Williamses' dog. If you find it strange to say it, you can always opt for The Williams family and The Williams family's dog.
- If you are making a list of people who own an object, the apostrophe goes after the name of the last person listed. For example, if both John and Mary have a cat, you would write John and Mary's cat, not John's and Mary's cat. John and Mary converts to a collective noun, so it only needs one apostrophe.
Method 2 of 3: Avoid Apostrophes for Plurals
Step 1. In general, do not use an apostrophe to indicate a plural
The erroneous use of the apostrophe to form the plural in English is called greengrocer's apostrophe, "the fruit vendor's apostrophe", since this work category is the one that commits the most, or at least, most visibly, the error. For example, if you have more than one apple, you would write apples, not apple's.
- An occasional exception to this use is when the plural of a single letter is made. Example: Why are there so many "i's" in the word "indivisibility"?. This sentence is correct. This choice depends solely on reasons of clarity, so it will not be confused with the word is. However, in modern usage, it is preferred to avoid inserting the apostrophe and putting the letter in quotation marks and in capital letters before pluralizing it. Example: Why are there so many "Is" in the word "indivisibility"?
- Avoid the root problem with numbers by writing them totally in letters: ones instead of 1's, fours instead of 4s or nines instead of 9's. Spell out only the numbers from one to 10.
Step 2. Learn to use apostrophes for acronyms and years
For example, if you want to make the plural of CD, you will write CDs, not CD's. The same logic applies to years: instead of writing Spandex was popular in the 1980's, opt for 1980s.
The apostrophe can only be used to omit numbers within a year. For example, if you want to shorten 2005, write '05. In this case, the apostrophe is a contraction and serves to simplify the writing
Method 3 of 3: Using Apostrophes in Contractions
Step 1. Sometimes, especially in informal written language, apostrophes are used to indicate one or more missing letters
For example, the word don't is the contraction of do not; among other examples, isn't, wouldn't and can't. Contractions can also be made with the verbs is, has and have. For example, we can write She's going to school in place of She is going to school or He's lost the game in place of He has lost the game.
Step 2. Watch out for its / it's trap
Use an apostrophe after the word it only when you want to indicate the contraction of it is or it has. It is a pronoun, and pronouns have their own possessive form, which does not include the apostrophe. Example: That noise? - It's just the dog eating its bone. The same goes for the other possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs.
Advice
- If in doubt, never forget that apostrophes are almost always used to denote possession of nouns.
- As for singular nouns ending in s, the Chicago Manual of Style suggests adding an s after the apostrophe, as in Charles's bike. If you have to write for someone, stick to their guidelines. Otherwise, the other form is also acceptable, the important thing is that you respect it in all the work.
- "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White is a very short and useful writing and punctuation guide. Keep a copy handy as you write and open it when you don't know how to proceed.
Warnings
- Do not use apostrophes or quotes for emphasis. For example, a billboard saying Joe Schmo, the “best” realtor in town! makes the word best appear sarcastic and untruthful, not emphasized.
- Using apostrophes casually indicates that the writer does not understand the rules about possessives, contractions and plurals. If you have a doubt and you cannot consult any manual, it is better not to put the apostrophe.
- When a word ends in y, like try, watch out when writing the third person singular, that is, try, not try's.
- Don't put an apostrophe in a surname when writing an address. If, for example, the surname is Greenwood, then its plural will be The Greenwoods, not The Greenwood's. Greenwoods indicates that more than one person with this surname resides in a house, Greenwood's does not.
- Never write her's or him's: these words don't exist! Remember that possessive pronouns don't need an apostrophe: his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs.
