How many ways is an apostrophe used

Skip to content. How to use the apostrophe By Marina Pantcheva The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Proudly powered by WordPress. MP MPs e. Local MP s are divided on this issue. The situation was different in the s. It's very important to remember this grammatical rule.

There are one or two cases in which it is acceptable to use an apostrophe to form a plural, purely for the sake of clarity: you can use an apostrophe to show the plurals of single letters: I've dotted the i's and crossed the t's.

Find all the p's in appear. Back to punctuation. You may also be interested in Semicolon ; Colon : Comma ,. Word of the day. Trending Words Most popular in the world. Are You Learning English? Great question! If the last name is Brode , then the plural is Brodes , and the plural possessive is Brodes'.

If the last name is Brodes , then the plural is Brodeses , and the plural possessive is Brodeses'. Hello, When referring to decades such as the seventies, eighties or nineties, and when abbreviating, what is the correct way to write these? Many thanks. You owe what would be a terrific place for information like the information presented in this post?

The handbook. I may be overlooking it — it wouldn't the first time that I can't find something right in front of my face — but I can't find that guidance in the handbook itself. What do you recommend for a last name that ends in "s" that would also be possessive?

I thought that if a name was one syllable, you use the apostrophe as follow: Ross's or if two syllables, Alexis' or the The Thomas'.

Is this incorrect? The rule does not relate to syllables. It is Ross's singular possessive , Alexis's singular possessive , and the Thomases' plural posssessive. How do I make something in quotes possessive? For example: "Mending Wall"'s meter is iambic pentameter. Is this correct -- close quote followed by 's? Technically, it's correct, but it's better to revise to avoid the awkwardness of an apostrophe after a closing quotation mark:. Which one is correct? I read someplace a few years back that the plural of an acronym will have 's after the letters.

As opposed to an acronym that would just have the s at the end? So, would this be an acceptable usage? I want to refer to the owner of a major league baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The proposed usage would be: The Pirates owner was discussing the lack of attendance at recent games. Thanks for your question, David. Pirates is plural, so the possessive is formed by adding an s : the Pirates' owner.

The health care organization is called Catholic Health Initiatives. They have an online job board. So that proper noun possesses that. Today, they've been to school, practice, rehearsal, the grocery store, and the veterinarian's office. Mind you, they aren't finished yet. They'll be busy until late tonight and, tomorrow, they'll do it all again. English apostrophe rules are not difficult to master.

Just remember that all possessives need an apostrophe and an "s" at the end. If the word already has an "s," it only needs an apostrophe. If the word does not already have an "s," it needs the apostrophe followed by "s.

As for contractions, the only apostrophe rule you need to remember is that if you take something out, replace it with something else. Then squish everything together, so it looks like one word.

Now, are you ready for some fun? Learn when NOT to use an apostrophe! All rights reserved. Apostrophe Uses Apostrophes serve two basic functions in writing: to show possession to indicate that letters have been removed to form a contraction Learn more about the different ways apostrophes are used with an examination of possessives and contractions at work, including lots of examples.

Apostrophe Rules for Possessives It would be difficult for possessives to exist without apostrophes. Amy 's ballet class Lisa 's car Robert 's car Style guides vary when it comes to a name that ends in an "s.