Apostrophe s rules as possessive s and as contracted ishas exercise decide what it stands for. Here, the singular proper noun johnson has an s added at the end, so that it becomes the plural word johnsons and. If you are unsure where to insert the apostrophe when forming a contraction, consult a. It is important to put the apostrophe in the correct place, either before the s or after the s, depending on whether the subject is singular or plural. Our post apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z says, to show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe.
Debate has raged among grammarians over some of its more esoteric uses,but the rules for its two most important functions possession and omission are pretty clear. Apostrophes punctuation rules the blue book of grammar. The simplest and most likely solution is to omit all apostrophes which dont convey any information, or questions like this wouldnt be asked and rely on syntax to distinguish the girls teams, and the boys teams, from the girls and boys team. You hold someone at the length of your arm singular, but are at the end of your wits plural. Think of the apostrophe as a little hand, holding on to an s to indicate ownership or possession. The grammatically correct way to write your sentence is i want to be buzzs girl. If the noun is plural, the apostrophe usually goes after the s. Marks cat, cindys books the grammar nazis computer broke referring to an individual. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. It is possible that in the end the english possessive apostrophe which at one time also. The normal rule when forming a possessive with a plural noun is to place the apostrophe after the plural s and skip the possessive s.
Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. To show singular possession of a name ending in s such as jones some writers and editors add an apostrophe only jones car and some add an apostrophe plus another s. The winning mistake is the misuse of the apostrophe, especially with. Note that the position of the apostrophe before or after the s depends on whether the word is a plural form ending in s. When a plural noun ends in s, place an apostrophe after the s to show possession. Extra rules and exceptions just make it more confusing. Posters for the movie have a third variation, girls, the apostrophe after the s. Not surprisingly, its also one of the most misused. The apostrophe is used in writing most possessives. To show possession, add an apostrophe followed by an s to the end of a singular noun that does not normally end in s. The apostrophe is also used in writing certain words which were formerly contractions. The apostrophe or character is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark. Apostrophes are often mistakenly omitted in common expressions such as at arms length and at wits end. According to the note under rule 2 in the apostrophes section of, although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred.
Second, its without an apostrophe is the possessive form. If the apostrophe comes before the s, we know that one dog has multiple leashes. Apostrophes have two main purposes, to form possessives and to mark contractions. Use an apostrophe plus s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in s. A womens wear daily has been called the industrys voice of authority b womens wear daily has been called the industries voice of authority c womens wear daily has been called the industries voice of authority d womens wear daily has been called the industrys voice of authority. Everything you need to know about this little mark. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Please, dont forget to use the grammar rules after you leave the classroom and go for a walk. Havent you noticed the importance of the apostrophes in the english language. Apostrophe rules english grammar lesson to improve writings skills punctuation marks duration. There werent a whole lot of actual writing tips, with the exception of a short chapter near the end with advice like avoid cliches like the plague. Style guide, and the american heritage book of english usage.
The grammar nazis are going to the park the exception is itsits. Sam and mary johnson live in a large house with their two daughters rachel and jenna johnson. The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. Our rule 1a of apostrophes says, use the apostrophe to show possession.
See rules 1b and 1c of apostrophes for more discussion. The normal rule when forming a possessive with a noun is to add an apostrophe and s. First, a plural noun which already ends in s takes only a following apostrophe. To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es. The big question with these is where to put the apostrophe. In these examples, you notice that the apostrophe is used to show that a singular noun owns something aunts, pen. The solution was to use an apostrophe after the plural s as in girls dresses.
Apostrophe english grammar today cambridge dictionary. It is used to show when one noun possesses another noun. You also see a phrase where the apostrophe indicates that plural nouns own something lovers letters. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. If the noun ending in s is singular, most sources recommend adding both the.
Aardvark, squiggly, and the trip are all nouns, and you make them possessive with an apostrophes. Apostrophe definition in the cambridge english dictionary. The girl is the singular subject and the bicycle is the singular object. Write the correct form of the words in the boxes below. If there are more than one errors, separate corrected words with a space and a hyphen as in the examples. The apostrophe indicates that one bicycle belongs to one girl.
But if the apostrophe comes after the s, we understand that many dogs have a variety of leashes. Apostrophes punctuation rules grammar and punctuation. Correct usage of apostrophes is an easy way to prevent a loss of points on your papers. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. With irregular plurals, the apostrophe comes after the plural form and before the s. If a girl owns a copy of the windows operating system, she possess that copy. Where the surname ends in s and making it plural adds an extra syllable that makes it awkward to pronounce, add only the apostrophe. Apostrophe english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary.
When an article is written by two people, is an apostrophe. I just finished reading a novel in which an apostrophe s was added to show possession in names already ending in s, i. She may have purchased it herself or received it as a gift, but it. Since you are talking about tickets belonging to mike james, an apostrophe is used to show possession.
Plural and possessive forms with names ending in y. Technically, microsofts products describes products either owned or physically in the possession of microsoft not you. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s. Learn how to make plural words possessive, how to make words that end in s plural, and what to do about abbreviations. It is also the rule of the chicago manual of style and other leading style books. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. A hilarious, furious and profoundly useful short guide to the most maddening punctuation in english apostrophes are an fing pain. Few punctuation marks are as abused as the blameless apostrophe. Apostrophes can be used in time expressions also called temporal expressions like a days pay and two weeks notice. To use some examples, the lass s book, the buss timetable, james s homework, kansass statute, and so on.
Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. The apostrophe is one of the hardest working punctuation marks in the english language. We could not in good conscience sanction the pluralizing of book or movie titles. Revise the rules, and check the grammar before copying the correct answers. The adelaide phone book has a list headed schoolsgirls. You need to use the best formula and stay consistent all the time. You would pronounce it joneses, so you add the apostrophe and s.
An apostrophe is used after the s when more than one person or thing. Its arbitrary, and especially in the case of apostrophes, chaotic. The better you understand its job, the less likely you are to do the little critter harm. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 70,293 views 11. Possessive of proper names ending in s daily writing tips. But just remember, in the case of its and its, an apostrophe is not needed for the possessive. To form the possessive of singular nouns, add s, as in homers job or the dogs breakfast. When writing the possessive form of almost all other singular nouns, the writer is. Its worth noting that companybrandtrademark names can throw substantial wrenches into the works. Apostrophe rules also mention that if the family name has ending like x, ch, sh, or z, however, we need to add es to form the ending. Children is plural and so the apostrophe should come after the s.
If the plural form of the noun does not end in s, the apostrophe goes before the s. When it comes to grammar rules for apostrophe after s, you should be consistent in writing. When we show who owns something or has a close relationship with something, we use an. Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. Many common nouns end in the letter s lens, cactus, bus, etc. Hey, frannie, ray shouted across the bull pen, some kids mom is on the phone here. A more accurate title would probably be grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better grammar. Apostrophes and puppies kiriwai said on december 4. An apostrophe and the letter s are used to show possession. To show singular possession of a name not ending in s even if ending with an s sound, like your example use the apostrophe and an s. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. Apostrophe s s retype the sentences below using an apostrophe where needed. The science projects effects were unforeseen and worldaltering. This is one of the areas where a great many people seem to slip up grammatically and where another great horde of people become very irate.
Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and. Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. Language, grammar and spelling are not necessarily consistent but often based on. The apostrophe comes after the possessor or possessors and is. This may look like it is simply an argument about style, but it is also a matter of how we understand the structure of th. David is a proper noun that doesnt end in s, so to make this name possessive, you change it to davids. Unless you are showing possession or a contraction an apostrophe should not be. Girls, girls or girls apostrophes and girls investigator magazine. Apostrophes quiz 2 the blue book of grammar and punctuation. The lettereating tiny elf named apostrophe uses his powers to gift characters with possessions in this clever minibook that teaches about punctuation. The apostrophe has been partnered up with the letter s in a few different roles over the last 500 years, and as with many relationships the goalposts have shifted a little over time if the apostrophe appears before the letter s then it may denote that.
How to make singular and plural words that end with s possessive. Most genitives are formed with s the term genitive includes a larger range of relationships than possessiveownership my dog, temporary possession his cookie, a natural trait his tail, a family relationship his mom, origin his city, performer of an action his arrival, and more. The apostrophes favourite pastime apostrophes often show possession or ownership. When an article is written by two people, is an apostrophes added to both authorss names, or only the second authors name. Punctuation is not grammar and doesnt follow grammatical rules. The apostrophe is used to show 1 possessives of nouns and some pronouns, 2 contractions, and 3 some plurals. After the apostrophe came along, a possessive word like johnes was written as johns to show that a letter had been droppedthe e in es. If the plural form doesnt end in s, use apostrophe s. Fishs habitats or fishes habitats would be correct because the. Forming possessives of words ending in s or an s sound by karen yin 9 comments im going to focus on the difference between how the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style handle possessives for words ending in s or an s sound.
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