The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nounspossessive nouns Together with a noun, as in my car, your sisters, his boss. ... Without an accompanying noun, as in mine is red, I prefer yours, this book is his. A possessive used in this way is called a substantive possessive pronoun, a possessive pronoun or an absolute pronoun. › wiki › Possessive

Possessive - Wikipedia

; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols. ​Do not ​use apostrophes to form possessive ​pronouns ​(i.e. ​his​/​her ​computer) or ​noun ​plurals that are not possessives.

How do you know when to use an apostrophe?

An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to create a contraction or to show possession.

1. Use an apostrophe when two words are shortened into one. ...
2. Use an apostrophe when showing possession. ...
3. Do not create a double or triple “s” when adding an apostrophe. ...
4. Do not use an apostrophe with pronouns to show possession.

What are the 5 examples of apostrophe?

Apostrophe Examples

• Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. ( ...
• O holy night! ...
• Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief. ( ...
• O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth. ( ...
• Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll! ( ...
• Welcome, O life!

What are the two rules for apostrophe usage?

The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in s, and by adding both an apostrophe and s when it ends in a letter other than s.

Where do we use apostrophe examples?

When using a singular noun, the apostrophe is used before the s. For example: “The squirrel's nuts were stashed in a hollow tree.” When using a plural noun, the apostrophe goes after the s. For example: “The squirrels' nuts were hidden in several hollow trees throughout the forest.”

When to use apostrophes - Laura McClure

18 related questions found

What are the 3 Uses of apostrophe?

The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nouns; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols. ​Do not ​use apostrophes to form possessive ​pronouns ​(i.e. ​his​/​her ​computer) or ​noun ​plurals that are not possessives.

Is it Chris's or Chris '?

In school, it is common to be taught to write “Chris'” when talking about something that belongs to Chris. When we are talking, we say Chris's when referring to something that belongs to Chris. While both are technically correct, the main difference is in the required style guide.

How do you use possessive s?

Apostrophe Rules for Possessives

1. Use an apostrophe +"s" ('s) to show that one person/thing owns or is a member of something.
2. Use an apostrophe after the "s" (s') at the end of a plural noun to show possession.
3. If a plural noun doesn't end in "s," add an apostrophe + "s" to create the possessive form.

How do you put an apostrophe in a name?

Names are pluralized like regular words. Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural; if there is one owner, add 's to the singular (The Smiths' car vs.

Do you ever use an apostrophe for a plural?

As a general rule, we never use an apostrophe in writing plural forms. (A plural form is one that denotes more than one of something.) ... Do not write things like *Jones's, *Steve's, *Julie's or *Eleanor Cross's if you are merely talking about more than one person or thing with that name.

What is apostrophe give two examples?

Apostrophe - when a character in a literary work speaks to an object, an idea, or someone who doesn't exist as if it is a living person. This is done to produce dramatic effect and to show the importance of the object or idea. Examples of Apostrophe: 1. Oh, rose, how sweet you smell and how bright you look!

What is apostrophe and its examples?

The definition of an apostrophe is the punctuation that is used to indicate possession, pluralization of abbreviations, and as an indicator of the exclusion of letters such as in a contraction. An example of usage of an apostrophe is to add 's to the name John when describing to whom his car belongs.

What is apostrophe with example?

An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used in contractions to replace missing letters. The contraction "we'll" stands for "we will," with the apostrophe replacing "wi." It can also show possession, as in "Mary's car." The apostrophe indicates the car belongs to Mary.

How do you do an apostrophe on a laptop?

How to Make an Apostrophe in a Keyboard

1. Press the button to the left of the Enter or Return button on your PC or Mac keyboard. ...
2. Hold "Alt" on a PC keyboard and type "0146" with the number pad to create a smart apostrophe.

Which is correct James or James's?

The proper convention is to include the possessive apostrophe even when the word ends in an "s." So "James's" is correct. The only exception to that are proper nouns so well established that traditionally they have always been used with just an apostrophe.

Which is correct the Smiths or the Smith's?

The plural of Smith is Smiths. NOT Smith's. And if for some reason the Smiths wanted to use the possessive, they would have to use the plural possessive.

Do you use an apostrophe when signing family name?

When making your last name plural, you don't need to add an apostrophe! The apostrophe makes the name possessive. ... If you don't like how your name looks with “-es”, you could always opt for “The Jones Family” instead of “The Joneses”. If your name does NOT end in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, or -x, you add -s to make it plural.

How do you make Jesus possessive?

A: The form written with an apostrophe plus “s” (that is, “Jesus's”) can represent either a contraction (short for “Jesus is” or “Jesus has”) or the possessive form of the name.

Why do some last names have apostrophe?

Adding an apostrophe makes the last name possessive, which is unnecessary in this case. Depending on the last letter of the name, simply add –s or –es. Signing a card, "Happy holidays from the Smiths!" correctly includes the entire family in the message's sentiment.

How do you know when to use S or S?

The possessive 's always comes after a noun. When something belongs to more than one person and we give a list of names, we put 's on the last name. With regular plural nouns we use ' not 's. They're my parents' friends.

How do you use a possessive apostrophe with two names?

If two people possess the same item, put the apostrophe + s after the second name only. Example: Cesar and Maribel's home is constructed of redwood. However, if one of the joint owners is written as a pronoun, use the possessive form for both.

How do you make a name that ends in s possessive?

For names ending in s, form the possessive either by simply adding an apostrophe (James' books) or by adding an apostrophe as well as another s (Charles's phone). The possessive of a plural name is always formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s (the Smiths' dog, the Harrises' family home).

Which is correct Carlos's or Carlos?

Both are acceptable. Some people just prefer Carlos' to avoid the 2 s back to back. 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.

Is it johns or John's?

We do indeed use the apostrophe when we contract a word. ... We also use the apostrophe, usually with the letter 's', to indicate possession, and this is where you need to be careful. The house that belongs to John can be called John's house, and note that the spelling is J-O-H-N-apostrophe-S.

Is it Marcus or Marcus's?

Both are correct, although “s's” is preferred. “Marcus's” would be a singular possessive, not a plural. “Marcuses” is plural but not possessive. 3.