Apostrophes for dummies

[BarbarianLover]

I'm sure there's a thread about this somewhere but I couldn't find it so I'm starting a new one.

Apostrophes are one of the most misused and misunderstood forms of punctuation in the English language, so I decided to write a quick thread on the subject to outline what's right, what's wrong and common mistakes.

Apostrophes are used in two main instances, the first is abbreviations, these are relatively simple, you put the apostrophe between the two parts of the word where some letters have been removed so for example:

Does not = Doesn't.
Can not/ cannot = Can't.
Was not = wasn't.

In all the cases above you can see two words have been pushed together to make one, (very handy if you're working to a word count) and the apostrophe sits very comfortably where the missing letters should be, also not that no apostrophe is needed for the space e.g. in "does not/ doesn't" the missing letter "o" requires an apostrophe but the space that existed between the two words does not/ doesn't.

There are a few irregular words like

Will not = won't.

This is an example of how certain words change when given an apostrophe, in this instance there's an "o" in place of the "ill" part of the word "will".

The second use of apostrophes is possessive and this is where people tend to get confused so here's how it works in general:

The apostrophe is placed between the name of the person to whom something belongs and the "s" that is added to signify possession for example:

Lucy's car

This is the singular possessive apostrophe, there's also the plural possessive apostrophe and in these cases the apostrophe comes after the "s" so for example:

The sisters' car, here the apostrophe signifies that the car is belonging to both sisters.

And one slightly unclear one for those who are interested is the word "other's" or "others'", because when you refer to someone other, especially in a story it automatically implies plural and thereby if an apostrophe was needed people sometimes assume that it would be the plural possessive apostrophe, this is not the case, when you use the word "other" it is refering to a single person so for example:

They shook each other's hands, there are multiple people and multiple hands however each person is using a single hand to shake another person's single hand (usually, unless you're using some strange form of handshake) therefore the apostrophe required is the singular "other's", this applies even in situations where there are more than two people because you would shake each person's HAND individually, therefore the apostrophe remains singular.

Hope that's cleared things up for anyone who's interested, if anyone wants to add anything to that or correct me then please do, also I'm writing this on the basis of UK English so if there are any changes that occur in America or Australia or any other English speaking countries then please add those.

 

[CattyTonic]

Handy! Those apostrophe mistakes kinda drive me nuts too. Now if someone could do a similar post for commas ... those are the bane, of, my, existence.

Side note: Is it funny or sad that I was desperately looking for a "like" button. We're not on Facebook anymore, Toto.

 

[BarbarianLover]

The wrongs

One thing I forgot to do was mention the wrong ways to use an apostrophe.

There is never an apostrophe for plural items, for example:

Chip's, car's, ball's = wrong when you're simply referring to them as items, if you're mentioning them as if they are belonging to someone then use the guidelines from my first post.

Names that end in "s" do not need another "s" when discussing possession so for example:

Thomas's = Thomas'
James's = James'

And so forth.

Other examples or really bad apostrophe usage that I've come across are listed here:

Youre' - wrong should be you're

people' - no idea how that got through the editor of the newspaper in which I read it but it did, it's just wrong.

he has' - I've seen something like this where the person though they needed a possessive apostrophe when in fact possession is shown by the use of "has".

Those are a few examples, anyone want to add really funny or really stupid examples of apostrophe usage please do, I like to laugh at them.

 

[jehoram]

Names that end in "s" do not need another "s" when discussing possession so for example:

Thomas's = Thomas'
James's = James'

My rule of thumb is whether the final s is actually pronounced or not:

John Thomas lives here. Mr. Thomas's house is a split-level. The Thomases have lived here for three years. The Thomases' previous house was two blocks away.

Note that "Thomases" and "Thomas's" and "Thomases'" are all pronounced exactly the same way ... Tom-as-es ... so the apostrophe's presence and location determines whether it's a plural, a possessive, or a plural possessive. In the third instance, the apostrophe is moved to the end to signify that it is a plural possessive which uses a silent "s" rather than a voiced one.

On the other hand, to use "Thomas' house" as a possessive would be incorrect, since it, too is pronounced "Tom-as-es" with two distinct esses. "Thomas's house" is correct. At least, that's the take on it in most of the style guides I've come across, including Strunk and White.

The two misuses of the apostrophe that grate on me most are plurals the masquerade as possessives, as on this price list:

Ladder's $5
Bucket's $3

or "it's" used as an adjective, rather than a contraction if "it is." "See that cat there licking it's butt."

 

[jomar]

So are comma's.

 

[Bramblethorn]

The second use of apostrophes is possessive and this is where people tend to get confused so here's how it works in general:

The apostrophe is placed between the name of the person to whom something belongs and the "s" that is added to signify possession for example:

Lucy's car

However, note that the pronoun "it" does NOT get a possessive apostrophe. "I patted the dog's head and rubbed its tummy", not "it's tummy".

At one workplace I printed out this cartoon and stuck it on a noticeboard: http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

 

[Handley_Page]

Will not = won't.

This is an example of how certain words change when given an apostrophe, in this instance there's an "o" in place of the "ill" part of the word "will".

This goes back to medieval English, where the word was WOLL, not WILL.
Another of the joys of a 'unified language' in England (If Caxton had been a Yorkshireman, we'd have a completely different language).

 

[peterlychen]

Now if someone could do a similar post for commas.

Semicolons! Other than acting as a delimiter in source code, I don't remember how they are used in written language.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Semicolons! Other than acting as a delimiter in source code, I don't remember how they are used in written language.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

Edit: and here's a song about semicolons but I wouldn't advise using it for guidance. (Or if you do, play to the end.)

 

[Zeb_Carter]

You forgot the most famous of contractions...

Are not = Ain't

 

[jomar]

You forgot the most famous of contractions...

Are not = Ain't

Not to be confused with taint.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Not to be confused with taint.

And that all depends on how you type it...

T'ain't = That are not. Some people down south talk funny.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I think you oversimplify the multi-faceted role of the apostrophe. It must be female!

Its first usage is to mark missing letters, ’Appen yer’d better ’ave this key.’

It indicates the plurals of letters. How many s’s are there in Massachusetts? What are the do’s and don’ts’ here?
Compare,’ in the 1990’s’ with ‘in the noughties’.

I accept there is confusion about simple possessive plurals. For years Lit talked about ‘Author’s Hangout’ rather than ‘Authors’ Hangout.

Style guides all over the Anglophone world bicker and debate the ‘proper’ usage of apostrophes in plural possessives.

Let me explain. “We went round to the Thomases last night.” We borrowed the Thomas’s sprinkler.”

A howler I spotted on Sunday was, “Obama, a friend of the Clintons’, said at the weekend. . .”

I could go on but let me finish with, O'Brien doesn't mean 'of Brien', it is a variant of Gaelic, ''ua" that means 'grandson'.

 

[BarbarianLover]

My rule of thumb is whether the final s is actually pronounced or not:

John Thomas lives here. Mr. Thomas's house is a split-level. The Thomases have lived here for three years. The Thomases' previous house was two blocks away.

Note that "Thomases" and "Thomas's" and "Thomases'" are all pronounced exactly the same way ... Tom-as-es ... so the apostrophe's presence and location determines whether it's a plural, a possessive, or a plural possessive. In the third instance, the apostrophe is moved to the end to signify that it is a plural possessive which uses a silent "s" rather than a voiced one.

On the other hand, to use "Thomas' house" as a possessive would be incorrect, since it, too is pronounced "Tom-as-es" with two distinct esses. "Thomas's house" is correct. At least, that's the take on it in most of the style guides I've come across, including Strunk and White.

The two misuses of the apostrophe that grate on me most are plurals the masquerade as possessives, as on this price list:

Ladder's $5
Bucket's $3

or "it's" used as an adjective, rather than a contraction if "it is." "See that cat there licking it's butt."

When it's Thomas' house, there is no second "S", it's just Thomas' house, in the plural possessive "the Thomases' house" it's correct.

 

[jehoram]

When it's Thomas' house, there is no second "S", it's just Thomas' house, in the plural possessive "the Thomases' house" it's correct.

Let's agree to disagree here. I'm quoting Strunk and White's third edition of The Elements of Style, which says on page 1:

Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice

You may have a style guide that says otherwise, but I'm sticking with S&W on this one.

 

[NaokoSmith]

There is a 'how to' section to stories, where there might be something on punctuation?

I have a blogpost on the semi-colon. I think it's my favourite punct. That was even before it was used for winking.

BTW, as you are quite new here, I will just give you the customary welcome and warning:

Lovely place, lots of fun, can get excellent advice on writerly issues (I even learned how to fill the wishy washy wiper water bottle in my car in here.)
Sometimes get trolls, not your usual kind, tend to lure you in with seemingly innocent remarks then bite your ankles. If someone says something a bit strange, run away shouting: "Get thee behind me, Troll!"
Have fun!

 

[BarbarianLover]

Let's agree to disagree here. I'm quoting Strunk and White's third edition of The Elements of Style, which says on page 1:



You may have a style guide that says otherwise, but I'm sticking with S&W on this one.

My guide is the fact that I am insanely pedantic about this stuff and I do get annoying but when speaking the correct way of saying it is "Thomas' car", now when writing a story its logical to write it "Thomas's" purely because no-one is as proper as that (unless you're doing a story involving Victorian English upper/ upper middle classes.

This is stuff I was taught when I did English at school, like I said I am very pedantic about this so don't think I'm having a go.

 

[sr71plt]

Names that end in "s" do not need another "s" when discussing possession so for example:

Thomas's = Thomas'
James's = James'

The authorities support going either way on this--as long as you are consistent in your choice. (And the Chicago Manual of Style has actually flip-flopped through the years on its preferences on this.)

By far the biggest writing mistake in the use of the apostrophe seems to be the "it's/its" choice, with "it's" being for "it is" and "its" for the possessive. I think it's the one most often screwed up, though.

The comma question that arose up the line is very hard to deal with in a blanket way, because publishing uses the comma more than regular English does and it can be highly subjective on whether a comma is needed to set off a clause in a sentence, depending on the context of the sentence. (And the CMA can get fuzzy on this--for instance, it says a long introductory phrase should be set off with a comma. OK, how long? Publishers differ in their definition of what is long in this context.)