How to use an apostrophe?
POSSESSIVE NOUNS
Possessive means having or relating to the case of a word
used to show who or what something belongs to. In English grammar, to show
possession, we add an apostrophe ( ' ).
Rule 1: For a singular noun:
If a noun is in its singular form, then to show possession,
we add an apostrophe ( ' ) and -s
to a singular noun. For example: The boy's
pencil is on the table.
Some more examples:
- My uncle is my father's brother.
- The girl's hat is red.
- Yogesh's wife is a factory worker.
- There are many problems in today's world.
Exception: There is an exception to this rule. If a
singular noun ends in -s, then add only an apostrophe ( ' ). For example: This is Thomas' pencil.
Some more examples:
- My boss' name is Rohan.
- Bess' last name is Yun.
- This is Mr. Jones' office.
- Texas' whether is cloudy today.
In the above examples: boss,
Bess, Jones and Texas are
singular nouns.
Rule 2: For a plural noun:
To show possession, add only an apostrophe ( ' ) to a plural noun that ends in -s.
For example: The boys' pencils are
on the table.
Some more examples:
- The girls' hats are red.
- I agree with the juries' decisions.
- My supervisors' names are Mr. Choudhry and Mr. Ganjoo.
- Almost all of the diplomats' children attend special school.
Exception: If
plural nouns do not end in -s, then in that particular case add
an apostrophe ( ' ) and -s.
For example: The men's clothing
section is on the first floor.
Some more examples:
- The men's laptops are on the table.
- Nancy and Anu's children's names are Geeta and Meeta.
- I am interested in other people's ideas.
In the above examples: men, children and people are plural nouns.
How to use an apostrophe?
Reviewed by Komal Ganjoo
on
February 25, 2017
Rating: