Latest
Recent Blog Posts
Career Development Denise Alexander
Apostrophes can be tricky. It’s not always easy to determine when you need an apostrophe, and when you don’t.
For this lesson in grammar, we’ll explore the different uses for apostrophes and some common mistakes to avoid.
Apostrophes are used to indicate possession or ownership.
Adding apostrophe + s makes it clear that your brother owns the shoes. This rule is true for most singular nouns and plural nouns that do not end in s.
Here’s where it can get a little tricky: For plural nouns or words that do end in s, you only need to add an apostrophe to signal possession.
For proper nouns that end in s, consult a style guide to determine the appropriate punctuation. The AP Stylebook, used by most American newspapers as well as businesses and other institutions, says that you only need an apostrophe after a proper noun that ends in s.
Another major use of apostrophes – one that you’ve already seen in this blog post – is contractions. A contraction is when you take two words and combine them through the use of an apostrophe.
The apostrophe signifies that you have combined “do not” into one word and takes the place of the missing letter o.
Contractions are often used in casual writing or speech. The use of a contraction can also help you convey a certain tone or accent. For example, the saying “y’all” is a contraction of “you all” and is often used in the American South.
Apostrophes can also be used to show the omission of letters or numbers. You’ll most commonly see this in dates and mailing addresses, but sometimes they are used in normal sentences as well.
When abbreviating a year, you leave out the first two numbers and replace them with an apostrophe.
When you use an apostrophe to omit letters from a normal sentence, this is often an attempt to convey common speech or slang. Sometimes, a grammatically incorrect version of a word is simply how people speak and you want to convey that accurately.
For the most part, apostrophes do NOT turn a word into its plural form. The only exception is when you have abbreviations that include periods between letters, such as M.D.
In this case, the apostrophe exists to make the abbreviation easier to read in a plural form.
Another BIG exception is its and it’s. In this case, apostrophe + s does not indicate the possessive form.
It’s is actually a contraction of “it is.”
Its (with no apostrophe) is the possessive form.
Keep these apostrophe rules and exceptions in mind next time you write, and don’t hesitate to visit our Writing Center for more one-on-one grammar help!
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.
Get the latest news you need to know, from study hacks to interview tips to career advancement. Have it delivered right to your inbox biweekly.