The Correct Use of the Apostrophe
The Internet is good for many things, but it is appalling for spelling, punctuation and grammar. It is quite worrying that so many people come out of the American and British education systems having no idea how to use an apostrophe. With this in mind, I have composed the following useful guide. If you could not be bothered to go to school, and thought correct punctuation was just for swots, this page is for you.
When not to use the apostrophe
Apostrophes are not used for plurals. Ever. No exceptions. To make something plural you add an "s", or occasionally change a "y" into an "ies". No apostrophes are involved. "Apple's" is incorrect, and should be "apples". Apostrophes are not used for words ending in vowels, or for acronyms. "Pizza's" is incorrect, and should be "pizzas". "CEO's" is incorrect, and should be "CEOs", or preferably "C.E.O.s".
Apostrophes are not used for possessive pronouns. These are words in their own right. "Its", when short for "the thing belonging to it", does not require an apostrophe. Similarly, the other possessive pronouns ("whose", "my", "your", "his", "her" and "their") do not need them. It should also be noted that "your", meaning "the thing belonging to you", is different from "you're", meaning "you are". It is, quite frankly, frightening how many people do not understand this. It was taught to me in school when I was eight.
When to use the apostrophe
Apostrophes are used to indicate ownership or missing letters.
In the case of ownership, apostrophes go after the noun and before an "s". Possessive pronouns are exempt; see above. In the case of a noun not ending in "s", an apostrophe and an "s" are added. An example is "Jane's book", meaning "the book belonging to Jane". In the case of a noun ending in "s", an apostrophe is added and an "s" may or may not follow the apostrophe. "Jesus' teachings" and "Jesus's teachings" are equally correct; both mean "the teachings of Jesus." In the case of nouns ending in a double "s", adding a third "s" would be silly, and so just an apostrophe is added. "The Princess' castle" is an example of this.
Occasionally, a plural noun may own possessions; in this case, the apostrophe follows the "s" which marks the plural. For instance, "the dog's bone" means "the bone belonging to the dog", while "the dogs' bone" means "the bone belonging to the dogs".
The other use of the apostrophe is to indicate missing letters. Sometimes this is when words are made out of two other words; these are called contractions. In other cases, a writer trying to indicate a regional accent may drop an "h", "g" or other letters.
Some common contractions, and their meanings, are listed below.
A writer trying to indicate colloquialisms may drop an "h" or "g", or replace a syllable with a glottal stop. Examples of this include "'aving" ("having"), "runnin'" ("running") and "ha'pennyworth" ("half-pennyworth"). In these cases, an apostrophe is used in place of the missing letters.
That, my friend, is how to use an apostrophe correctly. Stop moaning; the semi-colon is much more difficult.
