25
Put the Apostrophe in Its Place

Is this Uncle Jack’s pen? All the purple pens’ caps are loose. Where did Jim, Jack, and Jason’s pen go? How did Jim’s, Jack’s, and Jason’s pens perform?

There are so many apostrophes, but just a few rules. In general, the apostrophe is used in these six ways:

#1: When you want a singular noun to express ownership, use the apostrophe to hold the s in place. For example:

• Singular noun: Bob

• What he owns: Happiness

• How to use the apostrophe: Jane basked in Bob’s happiness

• Test: Does the word of express what you want to say? As in “the happiness of Bob”?

#2: When you want to express plural ownership, because the plural of most English nouns ends with an s, place the apostrophe at the end. For example:

• The birds’ happiness is apparent in their sweet tweet.

• Many pens’ black ink.

• Three days’ deliberation.

#3: To show possession shared by more than one noun, add the apostrophe and the s to the last noun in the series. For example: Jim, Jack, and Jason’s pen.

#4: However, if the possession is individual, add the apostrophe and s to each player in the game. For example: Jane’s, Bob’s, and the bird’s sounds all seem sweet.

#5: Pronominal possessives such as hers, its, theirs, yours, and ours do not have an apostrophe to show possession. For example: The cat cleans its ears.

#6: To form the plural of a letter, a number or a sign, omit the apostrophe and just add an s. For example:

• Mind your Ps and Qs

• Jane remembers the 1960s with fondness

• Call me in the morning with your sales #s.

Note: Depending on whether you follow the Chicago Manual of Style, as this book does, or the AP Stylebook, there are some differences in rules. For example, the Associated Press style recommends “mind your P’s and Q’s,” but still omits the apostrophe in years.