Apostrophes


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Hello, and welcome to our lesson on using apostrophes.

Apostrophes are only used in two situations.
The first situation is when showing ownership or a close relationship between people or things. Then, they indicate possession.
The second situation is when creating a contraction of two words.
In this case, the apostrophe shows where a letter or letters have been taken out.
First, let’s discuss singular possessive nouns. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe followed by an ‘s.’
For example, in ‘Sarah’s book,’ the apostrophe and ‘s’ after ‘Sarah’ show that the book belongs to Sarah. It’s straightforward when the singular noun does not end in ‘s,’ like ‘dog’s leash’ or ‘child’s toy.’
But what about singular nouns ending in ‘s’? Here’s where it can get a bit tricky. Traditionally, you also add an apostrophe and ‘s,’ like in ‘James’s car’ or ‘boss’s order.’ However, it is also acceptable, especially in modern usage, to just add an apostrophe, as in ‘James’ car’ or ‘boss’ order.’ Both forms are correct, and usage often depends on the style guide you are following or personal preference.

Now, let’s move on to plural possessive nouns. When a noun is plural and ends in ‘s,’ you add only an apostrophe at the end of the word. For instance, ‘friends’ names’ means the names of several friends. The apostrophe after the ‘s’ in ‘friends’ shows that the names belong to the friends.
If a plural noun does not end in ‘s,’ like ‘children’ or ‘men,’ form the possessive by adding an apostrophe and then ‘s,’ as in ‘children’s playground’ or ‘men’s clothing.’
Let’s look at a real-life example. In a sentence like, ‘We went to the Smiths’ house for dinner,’ the apostrophe after ‘Smiths’ indicates that the house belongs to the Smith family.

Contractions. After understanding possession, let’s explore how apostrophes simplify our speech through contractions.
A contraction is a shortened version of a word phrase.
The apostrophe is used to indicate the missing letters.
The most common apostrophes combine a noun or pronoun with a verb like I’ve or for I have and Henry’s for Henry is.
Here are some other examples:

– I am ➜ I’m.
– They are ➜ They’re.
– Let us ➜ Let’s
– We will ➜ We’ll
– Does not ➜ Doesn’t

Contractions add a conversational tone and are generally avoided in formal writing. When unsure, opt for the full-word phrase.

Remember possessive pronouns like ‘yours,’ ‘hers,’ ‘its,’ ‘ours,’ and ‘theirs’ never need an apostrophe.
For instance, ‘The cat licked its paw,’ not ‘it’s paw.’ ‘It’s’ is a contraction for ‘it is,’ which is different from the possessive ‘its.’ We will talk about it more in the following lessons.

In summary, apostrophes play a vital role in clearly conveying possession and contraction. Mastering the use of apostrophes not only clarifies your writing but also polishes its professionalism.
Now, let’s apply our knowledge to solve a few quizzes and reinforce our learning.

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