Apostrophe

We use a range of punctuation every day, such as periods, commas, and apostrophes, but do we always use them correctly? Punctuation often misused is the apostrophe. Not to worry, though - in this explanation, we will clear up any confusion surrounding the apostrophe by looking at:

• What an apostrophe is

• The rules for using apostrophes

• Examples of the different apostrophe use

Apostrophe Definition

An apostrophe (') is a piece of punctuation used to show belonging or omission. When an apostrophe is used to show belonging, it appears at the end of a noun followed by an 's'.

When an apostrophe is instead used to show omission, the apostrophe is used in the position of the missing letter so that the reader knows which letter or letters have been omitted.

Fig. 1 - The sentence "I don't like Cindy's bag" uses apostrophes for two different reasons.

An example of apostrophes being used to show the omission of letters can be seen below:

Apostrophe Symbol

The apostrophe symbol looks like this: '

Now that we've ascertained what an apostrophe looks like, let's have a look at some of the rules for using apostrophes.

Apostrophe Rules and Conventions

There are two main uses for apostrophes:

• To show a contraction or omission

• To show belonging

We can also use apostrophes to form plurals of numbers and letters.

For each of these uses of apostrophes, there are different sets of rules. We'll have a look at these now.

Using an Apostrophe to Show an Omission

A common use of apostrophes is to show an omission. When we omit letters from words, we create contractions. The most common form of contractions involves joining two words together by removing letters and replacing them with an apostrophe.

Now that we know what omissions are, let's look at some examples of words that use apostrophes to show omissions.

The other way that apostrophes are used is to show belonging, which we'll look at now.

Using an Apostrophe to Show Belonging

Apostrophes can be used to show belonging to a person, object, place, or concept. This is usually done by adding 's to the end of a noun.

Forming Plurals of Numbers and Letters

We usually do not use apostrophes to form plurals. For example, "She has ten cat's." is incorrect and a common mistake people make.

However, we do use an apostrophe and an s to form plurals of numbers and letters.

Using an Apostrophe After S

It can get confusing using apostrophes when you need to show belonging to a word or name that already ends with an s. This could be a name or object that ends with an s (such as Chris or moss), or it could be a word that's already had an s added on the end to pluralize it (such as dogs or the Smiths).

When a word ends in an s, and you want to show possession, you still need to add an apostrophe and an s. Some examples of this are shown below.

Fig. 2 - In a phrase like "the cactus's spikes," the 's is added to show that the spikes belong to the cactus.

When an s has been added to the end of a word to create pluralization, only an apostrophe is needed at the end to show possession. These words end in s' instead of 's. You can see some examples of these below.

Now that we've gone over all of the rules of using apostrophes, let's look at some more examples.

Apostrophe Examples

Here are some examples of where apostrophes are used for different purposes.

Showing contraction or omission in words (the omitted letters are highlighted).

• I've (I have)

• we'll (we will)

• you're (you are)

• there's (there is or there has)

• it's (it is or it has)

• who's (who is or who has)

• wouldn't (would not)

• couldn't (could not)

• 'tis (it is)

• 'twas (it was)

• o'er (over)

Showing possession in singular words that end in s.

• Chris's car.

• The moss's color is green.

• The lass's hair is ginger.

Showing possession in singular words that don't end in s.

• The car's wheels.

• The dog's tail.

• John's revision books.

Showing possession in plural words.

• The cats' bed.

• The ants' nest.

• The boys' football game.