Apostrophe

Apostrophe ()
the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters ina word, whether unpronounced, as i
n o'er for over, or pronounced, asin gov't for government; to indicate the possessive case, as in man's; or to
indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in severalM.D.'s, 3's.
Are you uncertain about when to use an apostrophe? Many people have difficulty with this
punctuation mark. The best way to get apostrophes right is to understand when and why they are
used. There are two main cases click on the links below to find straightforward guidance:
Using apostrophes to show possession

Using apostrophes to show omission
People are often unsure about whether they should use its (without an apostrophe) or its (with an
apostrophe). For information about this, you can go straight to the section it's or its?
Apostrophes showing possession
You use an apostrophe to show that a thing or person belongs or relates to someone or something:
instead of saying the party of Ben or the weather of yesterday, you can write Bens
party and yesterdays weather.
Here are the main guidelines for using apostrophes to show possession:
Singular nouns and most personal names
With a singular noun or most personal names: add an apostrophe plus s:
We met at Bens party.
The dogs tail wagged rapidly.
Yesterdays weather was dreadful.
Personal names that end in s
With personal names that end in -s: add an apostrophe plus s when you would naturally pronounce
an extra s if you said the word out loud:
He joined Charless army in 1642.
Dickens's novels provide a wonderful insight into Victorian England.
Thomas's brother was injured in the accident.
Note that there are some exceptions to this rule, especially in names of places or organizations, for
example:
St Thomas Hospital
If you arent sure about how to spell a name, look it up in an official place such as the organizations
website.
With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after
the -s:
The court dismissed Bridges' appeal.
Connors' finest performance was in 1991.

Plural nouns that end in s
With a plural noun that already ends in -s: add an apostrophe after the s:
The mansion was converted into a girls school.
The work is due to start in two weeks time.
My duties included cleaning out the horses stables.
Plural nouns that do not end in -s
With a plural noun that doesnt end in s: add an apostrophe plus s:
The childrens father came round to see me.
He employs 14 people at his mens clothing store.
The only cases in which you do not need an apostrophe to show belonging is in the group of words
called possessive pronouns - these are the words his, hers, ours, yours, theirs (meaning belonging
to him, her, us, you, or them) - and with the possessive determiners. These are the
words his, hers, its, our, your, their (meaning 'belonging to or associated with him, her, it, us, you, or
them'). See also it's or its?
Apostrophes showing omission
An apostrophe can be used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted. Here are some
examples of apostrophes that indicate missing letters:
Im - short for I am
hell - short for he will
shed short for she had or she would
pick n mix - short for pick and mix
its hot - short for it is hot
didnt - short for did not
It also shows that numbers have been omitted, especially in dates, e.g. the Berlin Wall came down in
the autumn of 89(short for 1989).
Its or its?
These two words can cause a lot of confusion: many people are uncertain about whether or not to
use an apostrophe. These are the rules to remember:
its (without an apostrophe) means belonging to it:

The dog wagged its tail.
Each case is judged on its own merits.
its (with an apostrophe) means it is or it has:

Its been a long day.
Its cold outside.
Its a comfortable car and its got some great gadgets.
Apostrophes and plural forms<br >

The general rule is that you should not use an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns, abbreviations,
or dates made up of numbers: just add -s (or -es, if the noun in question forms its plural with -es). For
example:
euro
euros
(e.g. The cost of the trip is 570 euros.)
pizza
pizzas
(e.g. Traditional Italian pizzas are thin and crisp.)
apple
apples
(e.g. She buys big bags of organic apples and

carrots.)
MP
MPs
(e.g. Local MPs are divided on this issue.)
1990
1990s
(e.g. The situation was different in the 1990s.)
It's very important to remember this grammatical rule.

There are one or two cases in which it is acceptable to use an apostrophe to form a plural, purely for
the sake of clarity:
you can use an apostrophe to show the plurals of single letters:

I've dotted the i's and crossed the t's.
Find all the p's in appear.
you can use an apostrophe to show the plurals of single numbers:

Find all the number 7s.
These are the only cases in which it is generally considered acceptable to use an apostrophe to form
plurals: remember that an apostrophe should never be used to form the plural of ordinary nouns,
names, abbreviations, or numerical dates.

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Apostrophe ()

Using apostrophes to show possession

Connors' finest performance was in 1991.

its (without an apostrophe) means belonging to it:

its (with an apostrophe) means it is or it has:

Apostrophes and plural forms<br >

(e.g. The cost of the trip is 570 euros.)

(e.g. Traditional Italian pizzas are thin and crisp.)

(e.g. She buys big bags of organic apples and

(e.g. Local MPs are divided on this issue.)

(e.g. The situation was different in the 1990s.)

It's very important to remember this grammatical rule.

you can use an apostrophe to show the plurals of single letters:

you can use an apostrophe to show the plurals of single numbers:

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