How to Use Apostrophes: Rules and Examples 5/26/24, 11:22 AM

How to Use Apostrophes: Rules and Examples

Apostrophes can be tricky. Sometimes they form possessives. Sometimes they

form contractions. Can they ever make something plural?
Apostrophe use: Contractions and omissions
A contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words that omits
certain letters or sounds. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing
letters. The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries,
or modals attached to other words: “He would” = “He’d.” “I have” = “I’ve.” “They
are” = “They’re.” “You cannot” = “You can’t.”

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Some writers use less common contractions when they want to represent a
particular style of speech. They might write somethin’ to represent the way
people often don’t pronounce the final g of something in speech. Occasionally,
you might see e’er (instead of ever) in poetry. And, of course, in the American
South, you will probably encounter y’all (you all). Decade names are often
contracted as well: the ’60s (the 1960s).

Contraction Uncontracted Examples

-n’t not Isn’t (is not), hasn’t
(has not) Page 1 of 5
-’re are They’re (they are),
How to Use Apostrophes: Rules and Examples 5/26/24, 11:22 AM

Contraction Uncontracted Examples

-n’t not Isn’t (is not), hasn’t
(has not)
-’re are They’re (they are),
we’re (we are), you’re
(you are)
-’d had, would She’d (she had, she
would), I’d (I had, I
would)
-’ll will We’ll (we will), you’ll
(you will)
-’s is He’s (he is), it’s (it is)
I’m I am —
let’s let us —

Contractions are usually considered to be relatively casual. If you’re writing

something very formal, you may want to avoid using them except in cases
like o’clock, where the full phrase (of the clock) truly is rare.
Apostrophes and possessive nouns
The rules about forming possessive nouns probably cause the most apostrophe
confusion. They vary a bit, depending on what type of noun you are making into
a possessive. Here are the rules of thumb:
For most singular nouns, add -’s:

The dog’s leash

The writer’s desk

The planet’s atmosphere

For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe:

The dogs’ leashes

The writers’ desks
The planets’ atmospheres

For plural nouns that do not end in s, add -’s:

The children’s toys

The geese’s migration route

Style guides vary in their recommendations of what to do to make a singular

proper noun that ends in s possessive. Some recommend adding only an
apostrophe:

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Charles Dickens’ novels

Kansas’ main airport

Others say to add -’s:

Charles Dickens’s novels

Kansas’s main airport

No matter which style you use, add only the apostrophe to plural proper nouns
that end in s:

The Harrises’ house

The Smiths’ vacation

Use whichever style matches the style guide you use for your writing. If you
don’t have a style guide, it’s OK to just pick one of the methods, as long as you
don’t switch back and forth within the same document.
Apostrophes and possessive pronouns
Personal pronouns, unlike regular nouns, do not use apostrophes to form
possessives. Most writers don’t have trouble with the possessive
pronouns my, mine, his, her, and our. It’s your, yours, hers, its, ours, their,
and theirs that tend to cause the confusion. The relative possessive
pronoun whose is also frequently the victim of apostrophe abuse. Note that
none of these forms use an apostrophe. In fact, for some of these pronouns,
adding an apostrophe forms a contraction instead of a possessive (see the
table above).

Pronoun Possessive Pronoun Absolute

(Independent) Form
me my mine
you your yours
he his his
her her hers
it its —
we our ours
them their theirs
who whose —
Apostrophes and joint possession
What do you do with the apostrophe when you’re talking about things that
belong to more than one person? When one thing belongs to two or more
people jointly, make only the final name possessive:

Bob and Jim’s bait shop (Bob and Jim co-own a bait shop.)

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How to Use Apostrophes: Rules and Examples 5/26/24, 11:22 AM

Ryan, Jessica, and Elinor’s parents (All three have the same parents.)

When you’re talking about separate things that belong to different people but
you’re discussing the things together, make all the names possessive:

Bob’s and Jim’s bait shops (Bob owns one bait shop, and Jim owns a different
one.)

Ryan’s, Jessica’s, and Elinor’s parents (Each has a different set of parents)

Using possessive personal pronouns in joint constructions often sounds

awkward (You have their and my gratitude). Usually, the best solution is to
rephrase the sentence to avoid the joint construction (You have our
gratitude or You have their gratitude and mine).
Apostrophes and plurals
Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very
common mistake. Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of
how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements (3 orange’s for
$1!). Don’t do it! With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns
plural.
The one notable exception to this rule is the plural form of lowercase letters,
which are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading:

Don’t forget to dot all your is.

Don’t forget to dot all your i’s.

Apostrophes with surrounding punctuation

An apostrophe is part of the word it belongs to, so it should not be separated
from that word by a period, a comma, a question mark, or any
other punctuation mark.

Can I ask you somethin’?

“’Twas the night before Christmas,” he said.

In the second example, take note of the apostrophe at the beginning of ’twas.
Apostrophes that fall at the beginning of a contraction are often mistyped as
left-hand single quotation marks, when the apostrophe is actually identical to
the right-hand single quotation mark. Word processors tend to do this by
default, as they assume you are beginning a quote. Keep this in mind,
especially when you are writing about specific decades, such as the ’60s or
the ’90s.

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When to check a style guide

Sooner or later, you’ll come across a phrase that sounds fine out loud but looks
weird on paper because of apostrophes. Do’s and don’ts? Dos and don’ts? Do’s
and don’t’s? For cases like these, it’s best to check a comprehensive style
guide, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or the The Associated Press
Stylebook (it’s do’s and don’ts, according to AP). A good dictionary may also be
able to offer you some guidance. If you can’t find a precedent, it’s probably
best to use a different word or phrase; unduly creative apostrophe use will
inevitably distract your readers.

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