Apostrophes Flashcards
All 11 cards in this deck
What are the two jobs of an apostrophe?
- Omission: showing where letters are missing (don't, it's).
- Possession: showing that something belongs to someone (Sam's phone). Apostrophes are never used for plain plurals.
Where does the apostrophe go in a contraction?
Exactly where the missing letters were, which isn't always where the words join: do not → don't, they are → they're, I would → I'd, would have → would've.
How do you show possession for a singular noun?
Add 's: the dog's lead, my sister's room. Names ending in s can take 's or just an apostrophe (James's coat or James' coat). Choose one and use it consistently.
How do you show possession for a plural noun ending in s?
Add just an apostrophe after the s: the girls' changing room (several girls), the teachers' car park.
How do you show possession for a plural that doesn't end in s?
Add 's, as you would for a singular noun: children's, women's, people's, mice's. Childrens' is always wrong.
When do you write its and when it's?
it's = it is or it has. its = belonging to it, with no apostrophe (the dog wagged its tail). Test: if it is fits, use it's.
Why is Fresh apple's for sale wrong?
Apples is a plain plural; nothing belongs to the apples, so there's no apostrophe. The same goes for decades and abbreviations: the 1990s, two MPs.
Do possessive pronouns like yours and theirs take an apostrophe?
No. yours, hers, ours, theirs, its and whose already show possession, so they never take an apostrophe. The choice is yours, not your's.
How do you work out where a possessive apostrophe goes?
Write down the owner (or owners) first, then add the apostrophe, then add s if you can hear it. The bikes belonging to the boys → owner boys → boys' bikes. The toys of the children → owner children → children's toys.
Correct this: Lets meet at eight; well be outside the cinema's entrance.
Let's meet at eight; we'll be outside the cinema's entrance. Let's = let us, and we'll = we will. Without the apostrophes they become different words (lets = allows, well = healthy). Cinema's is already correct.
Should you use contractions in your exam writing?
Match them to register. They are natural in dialogue, in speeches and in a chatty article, where they create a friendly, spoken voice. Use fewer in a formal letter or essay, where do not sounds more serious.