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CHAPTER
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CHAPTER 34
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The Apostrophe
PART A
The Apostrophe for Contractions
PART B
The Apostrophe for Ownership
PART C
Special Uses of the Apostrophe
Part A
The Apostrophe for Contractions
Use the apostrophe in a contraction to show that letters have been omitted.
1. I’ll buy that coat if it goes on sale.
2. At nine o’clock sharp, the store opens.
■
I’ll, a contraction, is a combination of I and will. Wi is omitted.
■
The contraction o’clock is the shortened form of of the clock.
Be especially careful in writing contractions that contain pronouns:
Common Contractions
I am I’m
it is or has it’s
I have I’ve
we are we’re
I will or shall I’ll
let us let’s
you have you’ve
you are you’re
you will or shall you’ll they are they’re
he will or shall he’ll
they have they’ve
she is or has she’s
who is or has who’s
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UNIT 6
Reviewing the Basics
A photograph by Ansel Adams of Half-Dome and Merced River in Yosemite National Park
PRACTICE 1
Proofread these sentences and, above the lines, supply any apostrophes missing
from the contractions.
1. Ansel Adams wasnt only a great photographer; he was also a conservationist
who helped save wildlife areas and establish national parks.
2. Hes best known for his dramatic scenes of the wilderness, but he also made
huge technical contributions to the field of photography.
3. Because of Adams, theres now a film-exposure system that controls light and
dark contrasts in every part of a photograph.
4. Adams was a talented musician who had planned to become a concert
pianist; he hadnt expected a career in photography at all.
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5. Its a well-known fact that the fourteen-year-old Adams took his first photo
while on a family vacation trip to Yosemite National Park in 1916.
6. His decision didnt happen overnight, but he eventually realized that music
wouldnt be as satisfying a field for him to work in as photography.
7. People werent surprised when he transferred the great attention to detail that
he had given his piano technique to developing sharp, clear prints.
8. Whats most unusual is how Adams worked with light, space, and mood
when he photographed storms, mountains, and other natural scenes.
9. Before Adams, many people couldnt believe that photography would become
an art form.
10. Theyve been proven wrong: Adams published books about photography as
well as books of his own photographs, and he established photography departments in museums and universities throughout the United States.
Part B
The Apostrophe for Ownership
Use the apostrophe to show ownership: Add an ’s if a noun or an indefinite
pronoun (like someone, anybody, and so on) does not already end in -s:
1. I cannot find my friend’s book bag.
2. Everyone’s right to privacy should be respected.
3. John and Julio’s apartment has striped wallpaper.
4. The children’s clothes are covered with mud.
■
The friend owns the book bag.
■
Everyone owns the right to privacy.
■
Both John and Julio own one apartment. The apostrophe follows the compound subject John and Julio.
■
The children own the clothes.
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UNIT 6
Reviewing the Basics
Add only an apostrophe to show ownership if the word already ends in -s:*
5. My aunts’ houses are filled with antiques.
6. The knights’ table was round.
7. Mr. Jonas’ company manufactures sporting goods and uniforms.
■
My aunts (at least two of them) own the houses.
■
The knights (at least two) own the table.
■
Aunts and knights already end in -s, so only an apostrophe is added.
■
Mr. Jonas owns the company. Mr. Jonas already ends in -s, so only an apostrophe
is added.
Note that possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: his, hers, theirs, ours,
yours, its:
8. His car gets twenty miles to the gallon, but hers gets only ten.
9. That computer is theirs; ours is coming soon.
PRACTICE 2
Proofread the following sentences and add apostrophes where necessary to show
ownership. In each case, ask yourself if the word already ends in -s. Put a C after
any correct sentences.
1. Bills bed is a four-poster.
2. Martha and Davids house is a log cabin made entirely by hand.
3. Somebodys cell phone was left on the sink.
4. During the eighteenth century, ladies dresses were heavy and uncomfortable.
5. Have you seen the childrens watercolor set?
6. Mr. James fried chicken and rice dish was crispy and delicious.
7. The class loved reading about Ulysses travels.
8. The Surgeon Generals latest report was just released.
9. Our citys water supply must be protected.
10. He found his ticket, but she cannot find hers.
* Some writers add an ’s to one-syllable proper names that end in -s: James’s bike.
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11. Every spring, my grandmothers porch is completely covered with old furniture for sale.
12. Jacks car is the same color as ours.
13. Celias final, a brilliant study of pest control on tobacco farms, received a high
grade.
14. The mens locker room is on the right; the womens is on the left.
15. The program is entering its final year.
Part C
Special Uses of the Apostrophe
Use an apostrophe in certain expressions of time:
1. I desperately need a week’s vacation.
■
Although the week does not own a vacation, it is a vacation of a week—a week’s
vacation.
Use an apostrophe to pluralize letters, numbers, and words that normally do
not have plurals:
2. Be careful to cross your t’s.
3. Your 8’s look like F’s.
4. Don’t use so many but’s in your writing.
Use an apostrophe to show omitted numbers:
5. The class of ’72 held its annual reunion last week.
PRACTICE 3
Proofread these sentences and add an apostrophe wherever necessary.
1. Cross your ts and dot your is.
2. I would love a months vacation on a dude ranch.
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UNIT 6
Reviewing the Basics
3. Too many ands make this paragraph dull.
4. Those 9s look crooked.
5. You certainly put in a hard days work!
PRACTICE 4 REVIEW
Proofread the following essay for apostrophe errors. Correct the errors by adding
apostrophes above the lines where needed and crossing out those that do not
belong.
The True Story of Superman
(1) Sometimes, things just dont work out right. (2) That’s how the creators of
Superman felt for a long time.
(3) Supermans first home wasnt the planet Krypton, but Cleveland. (4) There,
in 1933, Superman was born. (5) Jerry Siegels story, “Reign of Superman,” accompanied by Joe Shuster’s illustrations, appeared in the boys own magazine, Science
Fiction. (6) Later, the teenagers continued to develop their idea. (7) Superman
would come to Earth from a distant planet to defend freedom and justice for ordinary people. (8) He would conceal his identity by living as an ordinary person
himself. (9) Siegel and Shuster hoped their characters strength and morality
would boost peoples spirits’ during the Great Depression.
(10) At first, the creators werent able to sell their concept; then, Action
Comics’ Henry Donnenfield bought it. (11) In June of 1938, the first Superman
comic hit the stands. (12) Superman’s success was immediate and overwhelming.
(13) Finally, Americans had a hero who wouldnt let them down! (14) Radio and
TV shows, movie serials, feature films, and generations of superheroes’ followed.
(15) While others made millions from their idea, Siegel and Shuster didnt
profit from its’ success. (16) They produced Superman for Action Comics for
a mere fifteen dollars a page until they were fired a few years later when Joe Shusters eyes began to fail. (17) They sued, but they lost the case. (18) For a long time,
both lived in poverty, but they continued to fight. (19) In 1975, Siegel and Shuster
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finally took their story to the press; the publicity won them lifelong pensions. (20)
The two mens long struggle had ended with success.
Exploring Online
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/apostrophe_quiz2.htm
Graded practice: Apostrophe or no apostrophe? This is the question.