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Among all punctuation errors, apostrophe errors probably rank second to comma errors in number and first in frequency. If you take the time to master the rules, you will have a big advantage over most other students.
If your teacher marks “Ap” or “ApX,” write the rule you violated.
Ap: use apostrophes (–’s) to indicate possessives.
Ap: use apostrophes (–’s) to indicate possessives.
WRONG: Mr. Wongs address
RIGHT: Mr. Wong’s address
Ap.Pl: use –s’ for possessives of plural nouns.
Ap.Pl: use –s’ for possessives of plural nouns.
An exception is plurals that do not end in “s” (“the people’s choice”). Be careful with proper names.
WRONG:
the Democrat’s leader
the Wong’s address
the Harris’s address
RIGHT:
the Democrats’ leader
the Wongs’ address
the Harrises’ address
Ap.S: do not confuse a singular noun ending in -s, -x, -z or -sh with a plural noun.
Ap.S: do not confuse a singular noun ending in -s, -x, -z or -sh with a plural noun.
Usage is divided regarding such words; is a novel by Charles Dickens called “Dickens’s novel” or “Dickens’ novel”? The Keables Guide recommends that you add “-’s” to any singular noun or pronoun.
Charles Dickens’s novels
Mary Jane Wilks’s sister
Johnny Cash’s music
the Utah Jazz’s team mascot
PUNCTUATION TIP: Plurals of Names
PUNCTUATION TIP: Plurals of Names
It is easy to form the plural of a name like “Smith”; you say “the Smiths.” However, what if the name ends in an “s,” like “Phelps” or “Williams”? People sometimes mistakenly add apostrophes, but English usage requires that you add “-es”:
WRONG: the Phelps
WRONG: the Phelps’s
RIGHT: the Phelpses
WRONG: the Williams
WRONG: the Williams’s
RIGHT: the Williamses
What if it is a non-English name like Díaz, Ito, Mraz or Qi? The logic of English usage requires “Díazes,” “Itos,” “Mrazes” and “Qis.” However, readers may be distracted because the names look unnatural. Often the best solution is too avoid the plural.
CORRECT but AWKWARD: We invited the Díazes, along with the Qis.
BETTER: We invited the Díaz family, along with Mr. and Ms. Qi.
Errors are common on mailboxes.
Ap.J: use one apostrophe for joint possession; for individual possession, use separate apostrophes.
Ap.J: use one apostrophe for joint possession; for individual possession, use separate apostrophes.
Joint possession: Are you Einstein and Twinkle’s owner?
Individual possession: Are those Einstein’s and Twinkle’s pawprints on my tablecloth?
Often, however, the best solution is to rephrase using a preposition like “of” or “with”:
AWKWARD: Juliet and Romeo’s love
BETTER: the love of Juliet and Romeo
AWKWARD: my sister’s and my relationship
BETTER: my relationship with my sister
Ap.C: do not omit apostrophes with contractions.
Ap.C: do not omit apostrophes with contractions.
can’t, didn’t, she’s, should’ve, they’re
Ap.I: do not confuse the possessive pronoun “its” and the contraction “it’s.”
Ap.I: do not confuse the possessive pronoun “its” and the contraction “it’s.”
It’s unwise to judge a book by its cover.
It’s been a while since the car had its last tune-up.
Ap.W: use apostrophes for plurals of words and letters, but not for plurals of numbers, abbreviations or dates.
Ap.W: use apostrophes for plurals of words and letters, but not for plurals of numbers, abbreviations or dates.
APOSTROPHE: My friend uses five “like’s” in every sentence. Dot your “i’s.”
NO APOSTROPHE: Temperatures were in the 60s. Colleges granted many PhDs in the 1960s.
If you use italics, do not italicize the apostrophe or the “s”:
My friend uses five like’s in every sentence. Dot your i’s.
An abbreviated form of a decade takes an apostrophe at the beginning, but in formal writing the use of words, not numerals, is preferable.
WRONG: born in the 90s
BETTER: born in the nineties
Note the orientation of the apostrophe:
RIGHT: born in the ’90s
WRONG: born in the ‘90s
To learn how to correct the apostrophe, see Ap.T below.
Ap.T: use curly apostrophes (can’t), not straight apostrophes (can't).
Ap.T: use curly apostrophes (can’t), not straight apostrophes (can't).
Straight quotation marks: "like these"
Curly quotation marks: “like these”
Straight apostrophes: It's Jim's book
Curly apostrophes: It’s Jim’s book
For an apostrophe at the beginning of a word, use an apostrophe, not the first half of single quotation marks.
WRONG: born in the ‘90s
RIGHT: born in the ’90s
WRONG: ‘Twas the night before Christmas
RIGHT: ’Twas the night before Christmas
You may need to type two consecutive apostrophes and delete the first. Depending on the font you are using, the technique works with Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
On Microsoft Word you can changing the settings for apostrophes and quotation marks with a few easy steps: Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoFormat as You Type > Replace as you type > "Straight quotation marks" with “smart quotation marks” > OK.
PUNCTUATION TIP: Formatting the ‘Okina
PUNCTUATION TIP: Formatting the ‘Okina
The Hawaiian language uses a punctuation mark called an ‘okina, which is not the same as an apostrophe although it looks like one. Modern publications usually represent it with a left single quotation mark.
Most word processing programs automatically produce the correct form for an ‘okina at the start of a word but the wrong form for an ‘okina that comes after a letter:
WRONG (straight apostrophe): Hawai'i
WRONG (right single quotation mark): Hawai’i
RIGHT (left single quotation mark): Hawai‘i
If the word comes out as “Hawai’i,” you can easily correct it by leaving a space before the ‘okina and then deleting it.
First leave a space: Hawai ‘i
Then back up and omit the space: Hawai‘i
An ‘okina is a glottal stop (a slight pause caused by stopping airflow in the vocal tract); it is pronounced like the sound in the middle of “uh-oh.”
ApX: misuse of apostrophe.
ApX: misuse of apostrophe.
Identify which error you committed:
1. Do not mistake (a) plural nouns for possessives or (b) third-person verbs for possessives.
WRONG (plural): Dog’s bark. I know the Wong’s.
WRONG (verb): The bell ring’s.
RIGHT: Dogs bark. I know the Wongs.
RIGHT: The bell rings.
2. Do not add an unnecessary apostrophe to a possessive pronoun.
WRONG (possessive pronouns): It is her’s, not their’s.
RIGHT: It is hers, not theirs.
3. Avoid using possessives with appositive phrases. To avoid awkwardness, rephrase the sentence:
WRONG: California, the Golden State’s, capital is Sacramento.
AWKWARD: California’s, the Golden State’s, capital is Sacramento.
BETTER: The capital of California, the Golden State, is Sacramento.
4. Avoid making possessives of abstract things. It is natural to speak of possession with regard to living things: “Grant’s tomb,” “the dog’s tail,” “my name.” For other things, an “of” phrase usually sounds more natural:
AWKWARD: the teenage years’ trials
BETTER: the trials of the teenage years
AWKWARD: Death of a Salesman’s symbolism
BETTER: the symbolism of Death of a Salesman
PUNCTUATION TIP: Apostrophe Chart
PUNCTUATION TIP: Apostrophe Chart
A fast guide to the main apostrophe rules
Always ask yourself two questions:
Possessive or not? Singular or plural?
possessive singular: Mr. Wong’s address
possessive plural: the Wongs’ address
singular noun ending in “s”: Dickens’s novels
contractions: can’t, they’re
joint possession: Adam and Eve’s home
individual possession: Adam’s and Eve’s names
“it’s” = “it is”: It’s a shame
“it’s” = possessive of “it”
plurals of words: I use too many “like’s.”
plurals of letters: Dot your “i’s”
No Apostrophes
plural (not possessive): I know the Wongs
possessive pronouns: hers, theirs
plurals of abbreviations: BAs
plurals of numbers: 1960s
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