Apostrophes
Three rules--two common, one not very common
Apostrophes show contractions and possession.
Less often, they make the plural of letters or even
words used as words. But this third rule can lead to confusion because
normal plurals do not have apostrophes.
Contractions
Add an apostrophe where something is omitted.
Examples:
-
I am becomes I'm
-
she will becomes she'll
-
it is becomes it's
(Note the contraction "it's" sounds like the possessive pronoun "its,"
which has no apostrophe.)
-
would have becomes would've
(Note this contraction sounds like "would of," but that expression
is wrong.)
-
cannot becomes can't
-
rock and roll becomes rock 'n' roll
-
the 1990s becomes the '90s
(Note this contraction omits 19, so the apostrophe goes at the beginning,
not before the s.)
Exceptions:
-
will not becomes won't
-
shall not becomes shan't
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Possessives
For all nouns except plurals that already end in s, add 's.
Examples:
-
student's desk
-
child's desk
-
Ellen's desk
-
children's desks
For plural nouns that do end in s, add ' at the end.
Examples:
-
students' desks
-
the Smiths' desks
-
bosses' desks
Possible exceptions:
Some writers, journalists for instance, prefer to modify the guideline
with an exception for forming the possessive of a singular noun when the
singular noun ends in s. Specifically, AP style uses only an apostrophe
for proper names ending in s and singular nouns ending in s when
the next word begins with s. To save space or to reflect pronunciation,
you may add just ' to a singular noun that ends in s. However,
this exception complicates a simple rule.
Examples:
| Simple guideline |
Modified guideline |
-
boss's stapler
-
James's stapler
-
Francis's stapler
-
Ulysses's stapler
|
-
boss' stapler or boss's desk
-
James' stapler or James' desk
-
Francis' stapler or Francis' desk
-
Ulysses' stapler or Ulysses' desk
|
See how complicated that can get?
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Plurals of letters or words used as words
Writing about letters and about words as words isn't very common, so the
plural forms are even less common. However, an apostrophe before
s serves a useful purpose, showing that this plural is not a different
word spelled the same. Many writers will avoid the apostrophe by
italicizing the letter or word and leaving the s in plain type.Examples:
-
Dot your i's.
-
I got A's and B's.
-
I misspell all form's.
|
not
not
not |
-
Dot your is.
-
I got As and Bs.
-
I misspell all forms.
|
or -- I got As and Bs.
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Normal plurals
One of the most common mistakes with apostrophes is putting them into normal
plural forms.
Examples:
-
I bought bananas.
-
Let's visit the Smiths.
-
She works Mondays.
|
not
not
not |
-
I bought banana's.
-
Let's visit the Smith's.
-
She works Monday's.
|
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