2012- 6- 19
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أكـاديـمـي مـشـارك
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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). Notice the difference between it’s (it is) and its (belonging to it).
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