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Apostrophes
Apostrophes show possession (the dog’s bone)
and indicate omitted letters in contractions
(don’t). They are also used in such a wide variety of other ways that they can be confusing. Keep track of the uses that give you
trouble, and when in doubt, consult this
chapter.
Editing tip: The abbreviation ap indicates a problem with the
use of apostrophes.
Apostrophes and Grammar Checkers
Spelling and grammar checkers can help you catch some errors
in the use of apostrophes. For example, a spelling checker may
sometimes highlight its used incorrectly instead of it’s or an error
in a possessive (for example, Englands’ glory) but often gets it
backwards. Spelling and grammar checkers also miss many
apostrophe errors, so you should double-check all words that
end in -s in your work.
61a
Use apostrophes to indicate possession.
For a noun to be possessive, two elements are usually required: (1) someone or something is the possessor and (2) someone, something, or some
attribute or quality is possessed.
POSSESSOR
PERSON, THING,
ATTRIBUTE, QUALITY,
VALUE, OR FEATURE
POSSESSED
POSSESSION
woman
son
the woman’s son
Juanita
shovel
Juanita’s shovel
child
bright smile
a child’s bright smile
www.mhhe.com/
nmhh
For information
and exercises on
apostrophes, go to
Editing >
Apostrophes
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Apostrophes
Sometimes the thing possessed precedes the possessor.
➤
thing possessed
possessor
The motorcycle is the student’s.
Sometimes the sentence may not name the thing possessed, but its
identity (in this case, house) is clearly understood by the reader.
➤
I saw your cousin at Nick’s.
Note: You can also indicate possession using the preposition of:
the bright smile of a child.
1. Deciding whether to use an apostrophe plus -s or use
only an apostrophe
Making singular nouns possessive To form the possessive of all
singular nouns, add an apostrophe plus -s to the ending: baby’s. Even
singular nouns that end in -s form the possessive by adding -’s: bus’s.
Note: If a singular noun with more than two syllables ends in
-s and adding -’s would make the word sound awkward, it is
acceptable to use only an apostrophe to form the possessive:
Socrates’, Dickens’, Moses’, Jesus’. Whatever your choice, be
consistent.
Making plural nouns ending in -s possessive To form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in -s, add only an apostrophe to
form the possessive: subjects’, babies’.
Making plural nouns that do not end in -s possessive To form
the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in -s add an apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive: men’s, cattle’s.
Making indefinite pronouns possessive To form the possessive
of most indefinite pronouns, such as no one, everyone, everything, or
something, add an apostrophe plus -s: no one’s, anybody’s.
t_
_
_
Note: Adding -’s makes some indefinite pronouns sound
awkward. In those cases, use of to form the possessive: the
wishes of a few, the parents of both.
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Indicating possession
61a
Forming Possessives
IF THE WORD IS A(N)
ADD
EXAMPLE
singular noun
-’s
horse’s
Moore’s
plural noun ending in -s
-’
horses’
Moores’
plural noun not ending in -s
-’s
children’s
indefinite pronoun
-’s
everybody’s
2. Using the apostrophe in tricky situations
Multiple possessors To express joint ownership by two or more
people, use the possessive form for the last name only; to express individual ownership, use the possessive form for each name.
➤
Felicia and Elias’s report
➤
The city’s and the state’s finances
Compound words To form the possessive of compound words, add
an apostrophe plus -s to the last word in the compound.
➤
My father-in-law’s job
➤
The editor-in-chief ’s responsibilities
Proper names To form the possessive of proper names, follow the
rules given above, with some exceptions. Some place or organizational
names that include a possessive noun lack an apostrophe. In these
cases, follow the established style rather than adding an apostrophe.
➤
Kings Point
➤
Department of Veterans Affairs
Note: To form the possessive of buildings, machines, and other
inanimate objects, use of if adding -’s sounds awkward: the
window of the house (not the house’s window).
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Exercise 61.1
■
Apostrophes
Using apostrophes to form the possessive
Write the possessive form of each word. The first one has been done
for you.
Word(s)
Possessive
the press
nobody
newspapers
Monday and Tuesday classes
(individual ownership)
deer
women
someone
Edward
trade-off
well-worn footpath
United States
this year and last year combined
population (joint ownership)
the press’s
61b
Use apostrophes to form contractions.
A contraction is a shortened word or group of words formed when some
letters or sounds are omitted. In a contraction, the apostrophe serves
as a substitute for the omitted letters.
we’ve = we have
weren’t = were not
here’s = here is
In informal writing, apostrophes can also substitute for omitted numbers in a decade: the ’90s. It is usually better to spell out the name of
the decade in formal writing, however: the nineties.
CHAR TING the TERRITORY
Contractions in Academic Writing
t_
_
_
Although the MLA and APA style manuals allow contractions in
academic writing, some instructors think that they are too informal. Check with your instructor before using contractions
in a paper.
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Contractions vs. possessive pronouns
61c
61c Distinguish between contractions and
possessive pronouns.
The following pairs of homonyms (words that sound alike but have
different meanings) often cause problems for writers. Note that the
apostrophe is used only in the contraction.
CONTRACTION
POSSESSIVE PRONOUN
it’s (it is or it has)
It’s too hot.
its
The dog scratched its fleas.
you’re (you are)
You’re a lucky guy.
your
Is that your new car?
who’s (who is)
Who’s there?
whose
The man whose dog was lost called us.
they’re (they are)
They’re reading poetry.
their*
They gave their lives.
*The adverb there is also confused with their and they’re: She was standing there.
Exercise 61.2
Distinguishing between contractions and pronouns
Underline the correct word choice in each sentence.
EXAMPLE
Transcendentalists have had a strong influence
on American thought; (there/they’re/their)
important figures in our literary history.
1. In the essay “The Over-soul,” Ralph Waldo Emerson describes
the unity of nature by cataloging (it’s/its) divine, yet earthly,
expressions, such as waterfalls and well-worn footpaths.
2. Emerson states that you must have faith to believe in something
that supersedes or contradicts (your/you’re) real-life experiences.
3. (Who’s/Whose) the author of the poem at the beginning of Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”?
4. Emerson believes that (there/they’re/their) are ways to live
within a society without having to give in to its pressures.
5. According to Emerson, people should occasionally silence the
noise of (there/they’re/their) inner-voices and learn to listen to
the world’s unconscious voice.
6. Emerson also believes that, in the end, (it’s/its) the individual—
and the individual alone—who must decide his or her own fate.
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Apostrophes
61d An apostrophe can be used with -s to form plural
numbers, letters, abbreviations, and words used as words.
An apostrophe plus -s (’s) can be used to show the plural of a number,
a letter, or an abbreviation. Underline or italicize single letters but not
the apostrophe or the -s.
➤
He makes his 2’s look like 5’s.
➤
Committee has two m’s, two t’s, and two e’s.
➤
Professor Morris has two Ph.D.’s.
Exceptions: If an abbreviation does not have periods, the
apostrophe is not necessary (RPMs). The apostrophe is also
not necessary to form the plural of dates (1990s).
If a word is used as a word rather than as a symbol of the meaning
it conveys, it can be made plural by adding an apostrophe plus -s. The
word should be italicized or underlined but not the -’s.
➤
There are twelve no’s in the first paragraph.
Note: Style guides vary, and the MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers, for example, no longer recommends using
apostrophes to form plurals of this sort, except for plurals of
letters treated as letters.
MLA STYLE
He makes his 2s look like 5s.
MLA STYLE
Committee has two m’s, two t’s, and two e’s.
61e
t_
_
_
Watch out for common misuses of the apostrophe.
Never use an apostrophe with -s to form a plural noun.
teachers
➤ The teacher’s asked the girls and boys for their attention.
^
(See Chapter 63, pp. 935– 36, for more on forming plural nouns.)
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Common misuses of the apostrophe
61e
Never use an apostrophe with -s to form the present tense of a
verb used with a third-person singular subject (he, she, it, or a singular noun).
needs
➤ A professional singer need’s to practice different vocal
^
techniques.
Never use an apostrophe with the possessive form of a pronoun
such as hers, ours, or theirs.
ours
➤ That cat of our’s is always sleeping!
^
(See 61c for advice on distinguishing contractions [it’s] from possessive pronouns [its].)
Exercise 61.3
Chapter review: Apostrophes
Edit the following passage by adding and deleting apostrophes and
correcting any incorrect word choices.
Transcendentalism was a movement of thought in the midto late 1800s that was originated by Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau, and several other’s who’s scholarship
helped to shape the democratic ideals of their day and usher
America into it’s modern age. Emerson, a member of New Englands’ elite, was particularly interested in spreading Transcendentalist notion’s of self-reliance; he is probably best
known for his essay “Self-Reliance,” which is still widely read
in todays’ universities. Most people remember Thoreau, however, not only for what he wrote but also for how he lived: its
well known that—for a while, at least—he chose to live a simple life in a cabin on Walden Pond. Altogether, one could say
that Emerson’s and Thoreau’s main accomplishment was to expand the influence of literature and philosophy over the development of the average Americans’ identity. With a new national
literature forming, people’s interest in they’re self-development
quickly increased as they began to read more and more about
what it meant to be American. In fact, one could even say (perhaps half-jokingly) that, today, the success of home makeovers
on television and the popularity of self-help books might have
a lot to do with Emerson’s and Thoreau’s ideas about selfsufficiency and living simply—idea’s that took root in this nation more than a hundred years ago.
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