Writing Lessons & Advice: Apostrophes
- Katie Johns
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
In many relationships, possessions end up either under new ownership or co-ownership. A favorite hoodie belonging to my husband became mine after we got serious in dating. Good blankets we once had to ourselves are now under mutual claim. My car is his/our car (There are few vehicles between us now, actually). Of course, we share a bed (or at least try to!), a house, and some bills. But leftovers are often anyone’s game!
Most recognize that I would use apostrophes (‘) to express possession in writing--like Jacob’s hoodie, Katie’s car, or the Holland’s mail. But possessiveness just skims the surface. Here are more rules for when and how to use apostrophes.
Possessives
While using an apostrophe to express ownership/relationship is pretty basic knowledge, making the connections properly can be tricky depending on the situation.
The simplest rule is adding apostrophe (‘) + s to most singular nouns. Examples:
A movie’s plot
A person’s health
A store’s inventory
Plural nouns that do not end in s follow this rule too. This applies to most irregular nouns. Examples:
The people’s vote
Women’s rights
Alumni’s donation
One more tip to note is that apostrophe (‘) + s should be added to the last noun of a group when referring to something belonging to a couple or multiple owners. Examples:
Katie and Jacob’s cars.
Jacob and Katie’s wedding.
With most plural nouns, the apostrophe is added to the end of the word or s + apostrophe (‘). This shows multiple people or things own one item. Examples:
The kids’ playground
The pets’ crates
Mammals’ hibernation
How proper nouns are treated depends on the style guide. However, regardless of style, proper nouns that end in s follow the s + apostrophe (‘) rule. Examples:
Massachusetts’ flag
Gene Simmons’ demon persona
The Banks’ home
Contractions and Omissions
Contractions and omissions are shortened forms of words with the apostrophe representing what is missing. Contractions typically combine pronouns with helping or linking verbs. Examples:
He’s = he is
I’m= I am
She’ll- she will
Isn’t= is not
Omissions happen when letters are left off a word and it’s still understood. A common one is leaving the final -g off -ing endings, but there can be others. Pop culture likes omissions a lot. Examples:
“Runnin’ Down a Dream” - by Tom Petty
“Bringin’ on the Heartache” -by Def Leppard
“Movin’ Out” -by Billy Joel
“Takin’ Care of Business” -by Bachman Turner Overdrive
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” -by Bad Company -- a and d are omitted
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” -by Guns N’ Roses -- f is omitted from the song title, and a and d are omitted from the band name
Some significant things to note are that contractions and omissions are considered casual or informal writing. They can be used to help establish a unique voice but should be limited or avoided in academic writing, depending on any guides or requirements.
Possessive Pronouns
Certain pronouns are used to indicate possession or relationship. They do not need apostrophe punctuation. Most are easy to recognize, like his wife, her husband, my laundry, or our vacation. However, there are a few that get confused with contractions or homonyms. So here’s a little cheat sheet:
Whose- is the possessive pronoun with a few purposes. Sometimes it inquires about connection, like an old comedy show called “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” or it creates clauses related to connection, like: The Rocket Dog brand, whose sneakers are so fun, is my favorite!
Who’s- contraction for “who is”
Its- is the possessive pronoun for something inanimate or non-gendered, like: The computer is updating its system. Or The store will resume its business hours at 8am Monday.
It’s- contraction for “it is”
There- either a pronoun, noun, or adjective relating to location; if it helps, notice that “here” is in the word “there” and “there” (or “here”) can answer the question, “where?”
Their- possessive pronoun for “they”, as in a couple or group, like: their shoes; their work; or their event
They’re- contraction for “they are”
In relationships, many personal possessions easily (or reluctantly) gain new claimants. Apostrophe rules aren’t always that simple and maintaining a healthy, lasting relationship is the same way. Both entail work, practice, and patience to develop and maintain satisfying results!
Hope this improves your apostrophe usage! Refer to these notes as you write or proofread. Check out the sources/further reading for more studying.
Sources/further reading:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/what-happens-to-names-when-we-make-them-plural-or-possessive
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