For such a small mark apostrophes cause the most confusion and are probably the most misused (or unused) grammatical mark. Following are some simple guidelines on apostrophes and their use in contractions and showing possession.
Contractions – the apostrophe indicates the omission of a word, such as:
It’s = it is
There’s = there is
Wasn’t = was not
You’ll = you will
We’re = we are
Can’t = can not
Possession – shows ownership, i.e.:
Singular common nouns
- The committee’s policy
- This week’s spot the error
Plural common nouns
- The students’ queried
- The governments’ policies
- The children’s memories
There are a lot of resources available on the Internet regarding the appropriate use of apostrophes, and grammar in general, to help you with your writing, but remember there is also a lot of misinformation as well, so make sure you get your advice from credible sites.
