Junior Grammar Notes - Apostrophes

There are two uses for apostrophes: (I) possession and (II) abbreviation.

I.   Apostrophes for possession indicate something that belongs to someone or something.

    Ex: The girl’s phone never stopped ringing.

Rule 1: To show possessive form of a noun, add apostrophe + ‘s’:

• The school’s library has many books.
• The dog’s collar was missing.
• The criminal’s excuse was awful.

Rule 2: To show possessive form of a plural noun that already ends in ‘s’, add only an apostrophe after the ‘s’:

• Two weeks’ work is not enough to pay for school when you’re in college.
• The dogs’ collars were missing.
• FYI: If you can hear the extra ‘s’ add it
• Charles’s apple was almost gone.
• The Jones’s babysitter told them she would never come back.

Rule 3: If the plural form of a noun does not end in ‘s’, add apostrophe + ‘s’ like you do with the singular form.

• The children’s room was a mess.
• The women’s nails were being polished.
• The men’s basketball games were starting.

II.   Apostrophes for Compression indicate that a word has been shortened or compressed.

Ex: That wasn’t her phone. (= was not)

Rule: The apostrophe shows where a letter has been left out.

• Can’t = cannot
• Isn’t = is not
• Don’t = do not
• Wouldn’t = would not