Apostrophes
A noun or pronoun is “possessive” when it shows ownership or possession. An apostrophe signals that a word is possessive. In general, you can add an apostrophe and an s to singular nouns to make them possessive.
EXAMPLES
- Kelly’s microscope is focused now. [That the microscope belongs to Kelly is shown by an ’s added to Kelly.]
- A zebra’s stripes make it unique. [That the stripes belong to the zebra is shown by an ’s added to zebra.]
A plural noun that ends in an s needs only the apostrophe to make the noun possessive. A plural noun that does not end in s needs both the apostrophe and an s.
EXAMPLES
- the Sims’ home [Sims is a plural noun ending in s. An apostrophe alone makes the word possessive.]
- the men’s team [Men is a plural noun that does not end in s. An apostrophe and an s make the word possessive.]
Possessive personal pronouns do not need an apostrophe or an s.
EXAMPLES
- I bought my ticket. [My is the possessive form of the pronoun I.]
- David parked his bicycle. [His is the possessive form of the pronoun he.]
- The stamp lost its stickiness. [Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it.]
- Snakes shed their skin. [Their is the possessive form of the pronoun they.]
Indefinite pronouns need both an apostrophe and an s to make them possessive.
EXAMPLES
- Is this anybody’s map?
- I think I have someone’s jacket.
Contractions
2. Use an apostrophe to show where letters, numerals, or words have been omitted in a contraction.
A contraction is a shortened form of a word or a number. When you want to shorten a long word, a group of words, or a number, use an apostrophe to show where a letter, word, or number has been left out.
EXAMPLES
- we’d (we would)
- it’s (it is)
- ’96 (1996)
- o’clock (of the clock)
- won’t (will not)
- shouldn’t (should not)
TIP
Do not confuse contractions with possessive pronouns. Most possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes.
CONTRACTIONS
- It’s an ad for a summer job. [It’s is the contraction of It is.]
- You’re looking for a job? [You’re is the contraction of You are.]
POSSESSIVES
- Its pay is really high. [Its is a possessive pronoun.]
- Your job application is finished? [Your is a possessive pronoun.]
Plurals
3. Use an apostrophe and an s to form plurals of all lowercase letters, of some capital letters, of numerals, of symbols, and of words referred to as words.
EXAMPLES
- The word Massachusetts has four s’s in it. [To show more than one s, an ’s is added after the s.]
- Write *’s on the items you’re putting in the garage sale. [To show more than one * symbol, the writer put an ’s after the *.]
- The phone number has three 9’s in it. [More than one nine is shown by adding ’s to the numeral 9.]
- The vote was decided by two no’s. [More than one no is shown by adding an ’s to no.]
NOTE
To form the plural of abbreviations that end with a period, add an apostrophe and an s. To form the plurals of abbreviations that do not end with periods, add either an ’s or just an s.
EXAMPLES
- Dr.’s
- Ph.D.’s
- RPM’s
- SASEs