ملتقى طلاب وطالبات جامعة الملك فيصل,جامعة الدمام - Apostrophes

- - Apostrophes – how to use them (https://vb.ckfu.org/showthread.php?t=345083)

Apostrophes – how to use them

Definition

The apostrophe is a raised comma —
like this ( ‘ ).
It is used to show possession and to punctuate contractions.

Examples

Possession- My mother’s house – The girl’s bicycle

The house belongs to my mother – The bicycle belongs to the girl

Contractions- There’s nobody here – Where’s Freddy?
There is nobody here – Where is Freddy?

Many people have problems with the apostrophe. [You're not alone.]

Use

We can write The tail of the dog or The dog’s tail. This is possession – when
something belongs to someone or something.

We can also write It is a lovely day or It’s a lovely day. This is contraction – when two words are merged. The apostrophe is used to denote the missing letter

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Possession

When the possessor is single we indicate possession by using an apostrophe followed by the letter s:

The man’s coat

my sister’s hat

When the possessors are plural, the apostrophe is placed after the final s:

The girls’ bicycles

my cousins’ parents

When names end with the letter ‘s’, either use is acceptable:

James’ wife or

James’s wife

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Contractions

In formal writing we would write She has always loved him, but when speaking we would probably say She’s always loved him. The apostrophe is used to indicate the missing letters (or sounds).
I’m (I am) He’s (He is) You’re (You are)

Notice the difference between it’s (it is) and its (belonging to it).