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Apostrophes
Writing Handout Series
Grammar, Mechanics, & Style
In every-day English, an apostrophe is used in a variety of different circumstances. It is quite easy to
place apostrophes incorrectly. By misplacing or missing an apostrophe, the writer could create
confusion and change the meaning of the original thought. Apostrophes are usually used in the
following situations: possessive form, word contraction, and abbreviation of years.
Possession
Nouns that show ownership, or possession, of something or someone need particular formatting to
convey that relationship. When these nouns are in possessive form, they act more like adjectives
because they are modifying another noun.
Singular Possessive
For singular nouns, place an apostrophe and an
“s” at the end of the word.
Plural Possessive
For many plural nouns that already end in “s,”
the apostrophe is placed at the end of the word.
Original: The food belonging to the cat makes me
lose my appetite.
Original: The clothes belonging to the girls are
more colorful than those belonging to the boys.
Possessive: The cat’s food makes me lose my
appetite.
Possessive: The girls’ clothes are more colorful
than the boys’.
*Here, the singular noun “cat” is modifying food.
It is showing that the food belongs to the cat.
*In the above example, both “girls” and “boys”
require an apostrophe at the end because each
one ends in “s,” and each one is describing and
expressing ownership of their respective clothes.
Exceptions
There are exceptions to every rule. There are some
plural forms of words that do not end in “s,” which
require an apostrophe and an “s” at the end of the
word, just like singular nouns. There are also some
nouns that end in “s” even though they are singular,
and they require an apostrophe at the end of the
word. Below are a list of a few examples.
children to children’s
men to men’s
women to women’s
deer to deer’s
cactus to cactus’
cacti to cacti’s
data to data’s
syllabi to syllabi’s
Last Edited: 7/21/2016
By: PA, AA, MB, CB, SC
Choose Your Own Apostrophe
When you have a last name that ends in
“s,” you can choose whether you want to
just add an apostrophe or an apostrophe
and an “s.”
Original: The Jones adopted the kitty.
Appropriate: The Jones’ kitty adoption.
Appropriate: The Jones’s kitty adoption.
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Contractions
In casual language, you can often push two words together by placing an apostrophe between them,
which will then form a single word. These are called contractions. The apostrophe acts like a substitute
for any omitted letters.
Original: I have been…
Don’t
Contraction: I’ve been…
(do not)
Isn’t
Original: I am…
(is not)
Contraction: I’m…
Original: You all would have…
Aren’t
(are not)
Hasn’t
(has not)
Weren’t
Can’t
(were not)
(cannot)
Doesn’t
Didn’t
(does not)
(did not)
Couldn’t
We’ve
(we have)
Hadn’t
(could not)
He’ll/She’ll
He’s/She’s
(he is, she is)
It’s
(had not)
(he will, she will)
I’ll
(i will)
(it is)
You’re
(you are)
Contraction: Y’all’d’ve
There are many contractions – too many to list in this handout – but here’s a few common ones in the
table to the right. NOTE: Make sure that contractions are appropriate to use when writing your papers.
Abbreviations of Numbers
In some situations, an apostrophe can be used in lieu of the
first two numbers of a year.
Original:
The correct apostrophe in this case
tilts to the right (arches from the
bottom up). Word will automatically
do it the other way if you don’t
correct.
2016, 1986, Summer of 1969
Abbreviation: ’16,
NOTE
’86, Summer of ’69
Normally:
These abbreviations are not always appropriate, depending
on what it is you are writing. Always check with your
instructor about his or her preferences when it comes to
style, tone, and formatting.
Last Edited: 7/21/2016
By: PA, AA, MB, CB, SC
In this case:
‘
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