What Are Apostrophes
Apostrophes form possessives and contractions.
1. Apostrophe Use
Contraction and Omission
A contraction is a shortened form of a word (or group of words) that omits certain letters or sounds. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters.
The contraction can be formed/made when verbs, auxiliaries, or modals are attached to other words:
Examples:
- He would=He’d. I have=I’ve. They are=They’re. You cannot=You can’t.
- Some writers use contractions. For example, somethin’ represent the way people often don’t pronounce the final g of “something” in speech. Similarly, e’er (instead of ever) in poetry.
- Decade names are often contracted as well: the ’90s (the 1990s).
| Contracted Form | Uncontracted | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -n’t | Not | Isn’t (is not), hasn’t (has not) |
| -’re | Are | They’re (they are), we’re (we are), you’re (you are) |
| -’d | had, would | She’d (she had, she would), I’d (I had, I would) |
| -’ll | Will | We’ll (we will), you’ll (you will) |
| -’s | Is | He’s (he is), it’s (it is) |
| I’m | I am | — |
| let’s | let us | — |
In formal writing contraction should be avoided. Only exception is o’clock, where the full phrase (of the clock) truly is rare.
Apostrophes and Possessive Nouns
The rules about forming possessives vary, depending on what type of noun is forming a possessive. The thumb rules are:
1. For most singular nouns, add apostrophe +s:
Examples:
- The cat’s basket, The teacher’s bag, The star’s shine
2. For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe after s:
Examples:
- The cats’ basket (multiple cats) The teachers’ bags (multiple bags) The stars’ shine (multiple stars)
3. For plural nouns that do not end in s, add apostrophe +s:
Examples:
- The oxen’s horns, the mice’s hidden hole.
4. For singular proper noun that ends in s.
Some recommend adding only an apostrophe:
Examples:
- Charles Dickens’ novels, Kansas’ main airport
Examples:
- Charles Dickens’ novels, Kansas’ main airport
5. Others say to add apostrophe +s:
Examples:
- Charles Dickens’s novels Kansas’s main airport
6. Plural proper nouns that end in s only apostrophe is added after s:
Examples:
- The Harrises’ house, The Smiths’ vacation
7. Apostrophes and Possessive Pronouns
Apostrophe is not used with pronouns.
Absolute pronouns such as theirs, yours, hers, ours are used without apostrophe.
| Pronoun | Possessive Pronoun | Absolute (Independent) Form |
|---|---|---|
| I | My | Mine |
| You | Your | Yours |
| He | His | His |
| She | Her | Hers |
| It | Its | — |
| We | Our | Ours |
| They | Their | Theirs |
| Who | Whose | — |
Apostrophes in Joint Possession
When one thing belongs to more than one persons, use apostrophe only with the final name.
Examples:
- Beatrice and Jack’s meat shop (Beatrice and Jack co-own the same meat shop)
- Ronald, Jaseen, and Elan’s project (All three share the same project)
However, if different people possess different things then use apostrophe with all names:
Examples:
- Beatrice’s and Jack’s meat shops (Beatrice owns one meat shop and Jack owns a different one)
Ronald’s, Jaseen’s, and Elan’s parents (Each has different parents)
Apostrophes with Surrounding Punctuation
An apostrophe should not be separated by any other punctuation mark such as full stop, comma or question mark. Because apostrophe is part of the word, with which it is used.
Examples:
- Can I ask you somethin’?
- “’Twas the night before Christmas,” he said.