English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, with Online Practice, 3rd Edition

Chapter 9

A Hook That Can Catch You: Apostrophes

IN THIS CHAPTER

Showing ownership with apostrophes

Forming contractions by replacing letters and numbers with apostrophes

An apostrophe is a little raised hook (’) that allows writers to show possession and shorten words. Unfortunately, apostrophes have a tendency to snag most writers at some point. With some practice, though, you can confidently insert apostrophes into the proper spots in your writing.

The most common apostrophe mistake is to place one where it’s not appropriate. Don’t use an apostrophe in either of these circumstances:

• To create a plural: You have one arrow and two arrows, not two arrow’s. The no-apostrophe-for-plural rule holds true for names. I am one person named Woods, and members of my family are the Woodses, not the Woods’.
• With a possessive pronoun: Don’t use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun (my, your, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, whose, and so on).

Hook into the exercises in this chapter so that no apostrophe snags you ever again.

Showing Who Owns What: Possessives

An apostrophe allows you to turn the awkward-sounding phrase “the pen of my aunt” into “my aunt’s pen.” To show possession with apostrophes, ...