No piece of punctuation takes more abuse than the apostrophe. In fact, the popular little book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, seems inspired primarily by samples the author has collected of misuse of the apostrophe, mostly by famous people. And they abound!
For fun, here is a brief review highlighting some key areas of concern. You decide: Are these sentences correct or not?
1. Name the mall that rewards it’s customers. (from an ad)
2. Your going to be very surprised.
3. It’s not uncommon to see this error.
3. This is the Smiths’ land.
4. We bring greetings from the Smith’s.
5. This aisle contains apple’s, orange’s, and grape’s.
6. The 1970’s offered many opportunities.
7. The mens’ hats are on that rack.
8. This is Charles’ book.
9. This is Charles’s book
Don’t use apostrophes in normal plurals—ouch!
“But I thought the teacher said to use an apostrophe with an s.”
• generation’s, cup’s
• Deliciou’s (from the Apostrophe Protection Society in
London
• Chip’s, Sausage’s, Roll’s, Egg’s—from Bennys Cafe (a real sign)
1. Name the mall that rewards it’s customers. (from an ad)
2. Your going to be very surprised.
3. It’s not uncommon to see this error.
3. This is the Smiths’ land.
4. We bring greetings from the Smith’s.
5. This aisle contains apple’s, orange’s, and grape’s.
6. The 1970’s offered many opportunities.
7. The mens’ hats are on that rack.
8. This is Charles’ book.
9. This is Charles’s book
Don’t use apostrophes in normal plurals—ouch!
“But I thought the teacher said to use an apostrophe with an s.”
• generation’s, cup’s
• Deliciou’s (from the Apostrophe Protection Society in
London
• Chip’s, Sausage’s, Roll’s, Egg’s—from Bennys Cafe (a real sign)
Use apostrophes with pronoun contractions, but not with possessive pronouns
With pronouns, an apostrophe indicates a contraction, some fairly unusual, but quite acceptable in all but legal language: they’ve, we’re, you’d, she’s, you’re I’m, it’s (a contraction for it is). However, with possessive pronouns, the possession is indicated by the pronoun—never by an apostrophe: ours, his, hers, yours, theirs, its (the possessive form—no apostrophe). In fact, #2 above is one of the most common punctuation errors—and is the reason I included this reminder!
Use apostrophes for clarification
To avoid confusion, an apostrophe is used with single letters and with the plural form of lower case abbreviations: two s’s in the word, three bcc’s, his pj’s. When no confusion would result, no apostrophe is needed: 1970s, CPAs, DVDs. Caution: This does not work for names. If your name is Smith, you can’t get by—either on you mailbox or your holiday greeting—with the Smith’s. If you want to be sure we know your name does not end in s, consider: the Smith Family or John and Mary Smith, or give up and use a simple plural: the Smiths.
Follow these steps for real possessive apostrophes
Here’s my three-step approach for most uses of the possessive apostrophe.
1. Begin with the normal word, singular or plural—who
owns (possesses) it? the men, some girls, a child.
2. Add an apostrophe: the men’, some girls’, a child’
3. Add an s if there is not one: the men’s, some girls’, a
child’s
Note that the apostrophe always goes after the normal word: men (I see the men; not I see the mens, so not mens’).
If something is owned jointly, one apostrophe will serve: the cat and the dog’s master. If possession is separate, two apostrophes indicate that: the cats’s and the dog’s food.
Names cause trouble: Although the same rules apply with names, people get confused. If John Smith owns something, it is John Smith’s. If they are separate owners, it is John’s and Mary’s. If John and Mary Smith own something jointly, it is John and Mary Smith’s, Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s, or the Smiths’.
Here’s a related cause for trouble: words, especially names, ending in s or an s sound: Charles. So, which is right, Charles’ or Charles’s? This is one of those interesting areas where we confront “divided usage”: either could be right. I love the Gregg Reference Manual’s suggestion here: “Listen to yourself.” If you make Charles’ one syllable, then one s will do—and is cleaner. However, if you make it two syllables, you can convey your pronunciation with the additional s. This is true of other words that end in s: if you hear it, add an s: Congress’s task, the witness’s statement.
Here are some answers
1. Name the mall that rewards its customers.
2. You're going to be very surprised.
3. It’s not uncommon to see this error.
3. This is the Smiths’ land.
4. We bring greetings from the Smiths.
5. This aisle contains apples, oranges, and grapes.
6. The 1970s offered many opportunities.
7. The men’s hats are on that rack.
8. This is Charles’ book.
9. This is Charles’s book
There is much more. For further exploration, I suggest the Gregg Reference Manual—my favorite resource. It has many pages—just on the apostrophe!
With pronouns, an apostrophe indicates a contraction, some fairly unusual, but quite acceptable in all but legal language: they’ve, we’re, you’d, she’s, you’re I’m, it’s (a contraction for it is). However, with possessive pronouns, the possession is indicated by the pronoun—never by an apostrophe: ours, his, hers, yours, theirs, its (the possessive form—no apostrophe). In fact, #2 above is one of the most common punctuation errors—and is the reason I included this reminder!
Use apostrophes for clarification
To avoid confusion, an apostrophe is used with single letters and with the plural form of lower case abbreviations: two s’s in the word, three bcc’s, his pj’s. When no confusion would result, no apostrophe is needed: 1970s, CPAs, DVDs. Caution: This does not work for names. If your name is Smith, you can’t get by—either on you mailbox or your holiday greeting—with the Smith’s. If you want to be sure we know your name does not end in s, consider: the Smith Family or John and Mary Smith, or give up and use a simple plural: the Smiths.
Follow these steps for real possessive apostrophes
Here’s my three-step approach for most uses of the possessive apostrophe.
1. Begin with the normal word, singular or plural—who
owns (possesses) it? the men, some girls, a child.
2. Add an apostrophe: the men’, some girls’, a child’
3. Add an s if there is not one: the men’s, some girls’, a
child’s
Note that the apostrophe always goes after the normal word: men (I see the men; not I see the mens, so not mens’).
If something is owned jointly, one apostrophe will serve: the cat and the dog’s master. If possession is separate, two apostrophes indicate that: the cats’s and the dog’s food.
Names cause trouble: Although the same rules apply with names, people get confused. If John Smith owns something, it is John Smith’s. If they are separate owners, it is John’s and Mary’s. If John and Mary Smith own something jointly, it is John and Mary Smith’s, Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s, or the Smiths’.
Here’s a related cause for trouble: words, especially names, ending in s or an s sound: Charles. So, which is right, Charles’ or Charles’s? This is one of those interesting areas where we confront “divided usage”: either could be right. I love the Gregg Reference Manual’s suggestion here: “Listen to yourself.” If you make Charles’ one syllable, then one s will do—and is cleaner. However, if you make it two syllables, you can convey your pronunciation with the additional s. This is true of other words that end in s: if you hear it, add an s: Congress’s task, the witness’s statement.
Here are some answers
1. Name the mall that rewards its customers.
2. You're going to be very surprised.
3. It’s not uncommon to see this error.
3. This is the Smiths’ land.
4. We bring greetings from the Smiths.
5. This aisle contains apples, oranges, and grapes.
6. The 1970s offered many opportunities.
7. The men’s hats are on that rack.
8. This is Charles’ book.
9. This is Charles’s book
There is much more. For further exploration, I suggest the Gregg Reference Manual—my favorite resource. It has many pages—just on the apostrophe!
