Apostrophes - When and why do we use them?

Apostrophes, or as one of my children likes to call them ‘the commas that go up high’, (insert gasping emoji here) are probably the most confusing of all punctuation marks. They may look like commas but they are not at all related; commas add a pause to a sentence and sit on the line like the bottom of letters, like so, and apostrophes sit up high in the word and show ownership or stand in for a letter. It’s a tricky one but with a few little tips and hints you’ll be well on your way to remembering which one to use in no time.

Not only are there different types of apostrophes (apostrophes of contraction and apostrophes of possession) but there are also rules about where to put the apostrophe when your word ends in s and if it’s a plural noun you’re using. Phew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it so it’s no wonder people just leave them off altogether or put them in every time they write a word ending in ‘s’.

Ok, let’s break it down. And we can start with the sentence you just read. Let’s is a contraction as it is the shortened form of let us. To make a contraction you remove one letter (or two) and pop an apostrophe in instead:

Let us - let’s / Do not - don’t / She is - she’s / We have - we’ve / Who is - who’s/ They are - They’re

It is or it has - It’s. But what about its without the apostrophe? I hear you cry. Well that leads us to the possessive apostrophe. In all cases except its you need an apostrophe to show who owns what.

Its tail was wagging. (The tail belongs to it but we can’t use an apostrophe because that would turn it into it’s which actually means it is).

The dog’s tail was wagging. (The tail belongs to one dog).

The dogs’ tails wagged. (More than one dog had their tails wagging).

If there is one person whose name ends in s/ss you add apostrophe s. Jess’s book/James’s Lego. (The book belongs to Jess, the Lego belongs to James).

If more than one person or thing ending in s owns the item you don’t add an extra s but just insert the apostrophe. The girls’ books. (The books belonging to the girls). The girl’s books would be where multiple books belong to one girl only. The girls’ book would be a book that belongs to more than one girl (a shared book). To show joint ownership add an apostrophe and s to the last word only; Sarah and Mary’s book).

I should also point out that if your word is a plural word that needs to show possession you simply add apostrophe s. As in Women’s liberation or children’s park.

So those tips and hints I mentioned earlier?

Ask yourself;

Am I showing that someone/something owns something? Yes. Use an apostrophe of possession.

Am I joining two words? Yes. Use an apostrophe of contraction.

My word ends in s does it need an apostrophe? Only if it shows that someone/something owns something. Plural words do not need an apostrophe just because they end in s.

Take the following example:

Managers. Just means more than one manager (Plural word). No need for an apostrophe.

Manager's special. The special of the one manager. (Singular). Use apostrophe s.

Managers' special. The special of the managers (Plural; more than one manager). Use apostrophe after the s.

(A little reminder too that place names that look like they need a possessive apostrophe are written without them. Eg. Bells Beach, Wilsons Promontory. Oh, and shortened forms of years do not take apostrophes either. Eg. 1890s, 1980s).

Ok, now you try:

Place an apostrophe in the correct place so that it refers to one boy owning the book:

The boys book was torn in two places.

Where did you put that pesky apostrophe? The boy’s book was torn in two places or The boys’ book was torn in two places?

If you chose the second option I’m afraid that’s what you’d use if a group of boys owned the book. So it should be; The boy’s book was torn in two places.

Finally, if you’re still in doubt it is sometimes better to avoid the apostrophe altogether by rewriting your sentence. Eg. The cost did not include the book’s printing could become The cost did not include printing the book.

Let’s hope that’s helped you to navigate your way through the tricky world of apostrophe usage. It’s a lot to remember but worth it when your writing shines due to its carefully placed punctuation!