You will need the following apostrophe rules and guidelines to help you write and speak good English. But let’s begin with what an apostrophe is in English grammar.
The apostrophe (‘) is a punctuation mark that is used to indicate either possession (Farouk’s ball, Vida’s shop, building’s windows) or the omission of letters and numbers ( wasn’t, it’ll, 4th June ’79).
The apostrophe falls under the same category as the comma, semi-colon and the full stop (or period – American English).
Note that the apostrophe we are referring to here is different from the apostrophe as a literary device.
My personal attitude to the rules of grammar feels like this.
I love to teach English as a non-native English speaker.
I’m also among those “grammar rebels” who are not happy with the prescriptive attitude of some people (especially “expert” non-native speakers of English) who try to force archaic grammar rules down our throats.
That being said, here is the reason we all need apostrophe rules and guidelines.
Using the apostrophe in an acceptable way is a tricky exercise for many people; native speakers of English not excluded.
So, you will want to be sure that what you’re writing (or saying) is clear enough to convey the intended meaning to your audience.
And, by the way…
There is more to learn about English online. Try Alison for your free online diploma and certificate courses.
Udacity is the place to be if you wish to go beyond Language learning to take a certificate course in data science, programming and artificial intelligence.
Apart from learning more about apostrophe rules, you can also study popular career courses at Coursera.
Let’s now have our apostrophe rules and guidelines.
The 2 Primary Functions of the Apostrophe
In English writing, the apostrophe performs these two functions
The apostrophe is there to indicate possession
We also use the apostrophe for the contraction of words into a single one. Similarly, people use the apostrophe to shorten numbers, particularly, when they’re referring to a year (’88 for 1988).
Just take a quick look at the various ways the apostrophe can feature in the English sentence.
I cannot find Babatunde’s shoes.
Fatima’s problem was not about money.
The bird’s feathers are a delight to watch.
My friend’s name is Anthony.
My two friends’ names are Didi and Mark.
Ex-president Rawlings’s house is not far from here.
Ex-president Rawlings’ house is not far from here.
The three birds’ eggs look very much alike.
The Rawlingses’s car passed by a few moments ago.
The Rawlingses’ car passed by a few moments ago.
The women’s hall is the largest in the university.
We’ve come to ask you to leave.
They’re still inside the room.
You’re my best friend.
She’s just a funny little girl.
I won’t let you take him away from me.
It couldn’t go far enough.
He’ll know what to say.
It wasn’t difficult to locate.
Now, let’s look at the apostrophe rules and guidelines that have guided the writer of the above acceptable sentences.
It’s the same apostrophe rules you must follow each time you write or speak a sentence containing this punctuation mark.
Are you ready? Lets get going.
APOSTROPHE RULES FOR POSSESSION
- Add ‘s to a proper noun that doesn’t end with the letter s or sound /s/ to show possession
Example:
I cannot find Babatunde’s shoes
Fatima’s problem is not about money.
- Add ‘s to a common noun that doesn’t end with the letter s or sound /s/ to show possession
Example:
The bird’s feathers are a delight to watch
My friend’s name is Anthony
- Choose either ‘ or ‘s to add to a singular proper noun that ends with s.
Example:
Ex-president Rawlings’ house is not far from here.
OR
Ex-president Rawlings’s house is not far from here.
PLEASE NOTE. According to other English grammar and style guide websites like grammarly.com, there is actually no right or wrong choice here. You can choose to follow either of the above examples. Just make sure to stay consistent.
But I think this is what sounds right for WordPress, the content management system through which I’m bringing you this tutorial on apostrophe rules.
WordPress’s algorithm keeps changing without a warning.
Top 10 Apostrophe Mistakes to Avoid
How to Answer English Summary Questions
20 Sample Summary Questions and Answers – pdf
- Add only ‘ to a plural proper noun whose singular form ends with s
Example:
Have you seen the Rawlingses’ dog this morning?
There goes the Joneses’ Cadillac.
- Add ‘s to a singular common noun that ends with s
Example:
The princess’s speech touched on the most sensitive issues.
- Add only ‘ to plural common nouns that have the plural marker s
Example:
The three birds’ eggs look very much alike.
- Add only ‘ to plural common nouns whose singular forms end with s
Example
The two princesses’ goal is to unite the people of the world.
Those princes’ lifestyle baffles a lot of people.
- Add ‘s to irregular plural nouns (common nouns whose plural forms don’t end with s)
Example:
The women’s hall is the largest in the university.
His feet’s bones are not as strong as they used to be.
- Add ‘s to show the plural forms of lower case letters (small letters).
Example:
Cancel all your i’s, a’s and u’s.
Can you imagine what would happen if you wrote the above without the ‘ ?
- Add the appropriate apostrophe to the final noun only where two or more persons or things are said to own something together (JOINT POSSESSION).
Example:
Dora and Martha’s mother is called Mary.
The cat and the dog’s food is in the cupboard.
John and Jill’s marriage is facing problems.
- Add the appropriate apostrophe to each of the nouns where you’re referring to separate things belonging to different people or things. (SEPARATE POSSESSION)
Example:
Trump’s and Biden’s supporters have opposing attitudes to the wearing of masks.
Arsenal’s and Chelsea’s managers have both resigned.
Abena’s and Akua’s websites are doing well on Google.
CONTRACTION RULES.
We place ‘ in the place of the letters (or letter) that have been taken out when we combine two words.
We + have = We’ve
As you can see, ‘ is now occupying the place of “ha” in “have”.
Do + not = Don’t
The letter “o” in “not” is the one whose place has been taken up by ‘
Points to note about contraction
Please note the following points about the use of the apostrophe for contraction.
- Contraction is a common feature in the combination of pronouns and auxiliary verbs.
she’ll, they’ve, it’s, I’m, who’s
- Contraction also happens in the combination of auxiliary verbs and the word, “not”. (NEGATING CONTRACTIONS)
isn’t = is not
doesn’t = does not
weren’t = were not
aren’t = are not
hasn’t = has not
hadn’t = had not
oughtn’t = ought not
daren’t = dare not
needn’t = need not
- We also see contraction between modal auxiliary verbs and “have”
should’ve, must’ve, could’ve, might’ve
- “Will not” has a contracted form which is a rare exception to the norm.
won’t = will not
- Other common contractions
There’s = There is
Let’s = Let us
- You will occasionally come across the following old-fashioned contractions especially if you love to read a lot of things.
ain’t = am not, is not, has not, have not
o’er = over
e’er = ever
ma’am = madam
I’d’ve, he’d’ve, she’d’ve = I would have, he would have, she would have
somethin’ = something
’tis = it is
’twas = it was
y’all = you all
Final word
Now you have all your apostrophe rules carefully put together in one place. I trust that you will not feel anxious about how to use the apostrophe correctly from this moment onward.
Did you find this information helpful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!
Image by BUMIPUTRA from Pixabay
