Grammar FAQs| Lab Info | Virtual Tutor| Structure/Mechanics | 20 Common Errors | Documentation | Plagiarism | Writing Links | Lab Home | BCC Home | Workshops| | Composition| Reading Lab|
Get a PDF version
of this page.
The BCC Writing Lab Series
presents
Apostrophes
1. They are used to indicate POSSESSION, whether literal or figurative.
2. They are used to indicate TIME and MEASUREMENT in some cases.
3. They are used to form CONTRACTIONS.
POSSESSIVE APOSTROPHES show ownership (often not literal) of something and are used in conjunction with the letter s. For example, John's toy shows that John has a toy. You can perform a simple test to determine the location of a possessive apostrophe by rephrasing with have or has:
My mother has a sweater becomes
My mother's sweater (The apostrophe follows mother.)Joan has a Honda becomes
Joan's Honda (The apostrophe follows the name Joan.)The Writing Lab has a coffee pot becomes
The Writing Lab's coffee pot (The apostrophe follows Lab.)
In the above examples, the possessive is made by adding an apostrophe plus an s to the word that possesses. However, if the word already ends in s, whether plural or not, it is acceptable to add an apostrophe only.
The Kellers have a Honda becomes
The Kellers' Honda (The apostrophe follows The Kellers.)James has a Walkman becomes
James' Walkman (The apostrophe follows James.)
This can also be written as James's to match pronunciation.The twins have kittens becomes
The twins' kittens (The apostrophe follows The twins.)
In the case of apostrophe quizzes, you will often be given a possessive with only the apostrophe missing, and you have to decide if it goes before or after the s . For example, a quiz problem might be set up so:
James plans a party for the twins birthday every year.
The word twins must be possessive since the birthday is theirs, so to determine where the apostrophe goes, rephrase using have : The twins have a birthday. Since twins in its non-possessive form ends in s, you need only add an apostrophe to the end of the word: the twins' birthday.
If the problem read,
James plans his mothers birthday party as well.
rephrasing it would give
you His mother has a birthday party. Because the word mother
in its non-possessive form does not already have an s at the end,
the apostrophe follows mother and precedes the s.
TIME AND MEASURE APOSTROPHES indicate time value and measurement in certain uses. Again, the location of the apostrophe can be determined by rephrasing, this time using the word of .
the society of today
today's societythe heat of the summer
the summer's heatthe worth of ten dollars
ten dollars' worth
CONTRACTION APOSTROPHES make two words into one for ease of conversation by replacing some letters in one or both of the words being combined.
do not becomes don't
I would becomes I'd
would have becomes would've
Make sure the apostrophe is placed where the letter(s) have been omitted and not between the two words. For example, in the contraction of does and not, the apostrophe replaces the o in not: doesn't.
Note: The contraction of will and not is won't. Even though some letters are omitted from will, and an o is added, the apostrophe is placed only where the letter o is omitted from not.
BE CAREFUL! Some words that are contractions sound exactly like words that are not. For example, the words it's (from it is or it has ) and its (the possessive form of it ), along with you're (from you are ) and your (the possessive form of you ) frequently cause problems. If it makes sense as two words, then it's probably the contraction you're dealing with.
Finally, while contractions are usually words like we're, I'm, shouldn't, and so on, they're often made up of names, places, seasons and the like, as in the following sentence:
Summer's over, and Dilbert's going back to where life's a bowl of oatmeal and Friday's the first day of the week.
All the apostrophes in this example are used to make contractions of a noun and the verb is. This sort of contraction is considered to be informal, however, and should not be used in formal writing such as term papers.
For further information on the use of apostrophes, consult any good English handbook. The Little, Brown Handbook, which is available for your perusal in the Writing Lab, has a good section on both possessives and contractions.