Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. The other option that you have is adding just an apostrophe and youre only going to do that when the singular or plural nouns end in s so something like the joneses which is a plural noun that describes all the members of the jones family, if we are talking about the house that they own, we are going to say the joneses house or for. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. For example, the aardvarks pencil, where there is an apostrophes at the end of aardvark. It is used to show when one noun possesses another noun. When to use an apostrophe quick when to use an apostrophe. Girls the apostrophe before the s occurs in leonard maltins movie guide. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. I want to avoid having incorrect signage installed, especially in a school. Apostrophes and plurals grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Its arbitrary, and especially in the case of apostrophes, chaotic. Forget the apostrophe until you write out the entire word.
My girls education is progressing well, but no apostrophe by rule e if education in general is meant e. Learn grammar apostrophe rules till its not too late. It would be difficult for possessives to exist without apostrophes. The apostrophe guide a quick guide to the apostrophe. Apostrophe s rules in hindi use of apostrophe in english. Jan 01, 2008 grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing book. May 31, 20 and this misuse is so unnecessary because apostrophe rules are easy.
When we have a singular noun, we just add an apostrophe s like we have already seen. You simply add s to the end, just as you would for a persons name. If you force yourself to believe this, it will make you think twice before using or omitting an apostropheand before you know it, these simple rules will become engrained in your puppysaving soul. Apostrophes and puppies kiriwai said on december 4. Sometimes to indicate the structure of unusual words.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. If there are more than one errors, separate corrected words with a space and a hyphen as in the examples. If you call it a homeowners association or a teachers strike with the apostrophe before the s. With plural nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe after the s. Some of the indefinite pronouns form their possessives with a possessive ending. So apostrophes for the possessive case was initially meant to show. I considered just giving it a star rating and skipping.
Heres the scoop on when to use apostrophes to make things plural. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. My head is spinning trying to remember and apply all the apostrophe rules that i learned 30 years ago. On a party invitation, the event location is the hays house. Possessive comes from the same root as possession, something you own. One major new use for the apostrophe was to indicate possession. A humorous take on proper grammar and ways in which one might employ mind tricks to remember basic rules and usage. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon. Or if you want to say that the books cover is red, you say. A contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words that omits certain letters or sounds. We kept the fun going by reading the girl s like spaghetti by grammar guru lynne truss.
An apostrophe is a mark of punctuation used to identify a noun in the possessive case or indicate the omission of one or more letters from a word. If you have added an s to make a word plural for example, cat. While that may sound simple enough, many people are baffled by the little squiggle. At last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your apostrophe david marsh simon griffins irreverent pocketsized guide to a tricky piece of punctuation is the perfect stocking filler. Pauls, julies, mikes, and susans are all possessive nouns. To form the possessive of a singular noun that does not end in s or an s sound, add an. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. To show plural possession, make the noun plural first.
An apostrophe is used to show that certain letters have been omitted from a word contractions, i. See sabin for extensive examples 298 and swan for a brief mention of rules 479. Please let me know what is correct for each of the following. Punctuation is not grammar and doesnt follow grammatical rules. The blue book of grammar and punctuation an easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes tenth edition jane straus. The apostrophe has been partnered up with the letter s in a few different roles over the last 500 years, and as with many relationships the goalposts have shifted a little over time.
Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. Now, there are some simple rules about how to use the apostrophe s. At last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your. This board helps advanced english learners study english punctuation rules. Mar 16, 2008 wondering when a noun should use s, s, s, or es to show possession. Aug 08, 2019 in the 1600s and again in the 1700s, new uses emerged for the apostrophe, so its no wonder that people were and are confused 1, and it wasnt until the mid1800s that people even tried to set down firm rules for the apostrophe 2. Read on to discover all the apostrophe rules youll ever need to know. Want to know when to use the apostrophe and when to skip it. Her more than 50 books include english grammar for dummies and many childrens books. As english grammar moved on with new habits and usage, the apostrophe began to take on new roles. For all your apostrophe needs getting into the nitty gritty of grammar rules can be fun. If a singular word ends in s, it is still necessary to add s. Girls locker room or girls locker room a locker room for a class or group of girls 2. If the phrase refers to a group of girls who purchased some books, then the books are the girls books by rule a because they own the books.
But as known, the major or conflicts and problems come from misunderstanding, probably the apostrophe is just a little misunderstood and thats why weve gathered the most painful questions about apostrophe use with answers and examples to them. Girls education takes an apostrophe by rules a, b or c if it refers to the education of a particular girl or group of girls e. You wont get arrested by the grammar police for using your brain. The book, common sense or more specifically the authorship of the book, belongs equally to lederer and shore, so only the second name, shore, takes the apostrophe and s. Geraldine woods has taught every level of english from 5th grade through ap. Learn some common mistakes with apostrophes and how to properly use them. Apostrophe english grammar today cambridge dictionary. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. If the apostrophe appears before the letter s then it may denote that the possessive case is singular, i. Language, grammar and spelling are not necessarily consistent but often based on. Mignot fogarty, better known as grammar girl provides the public with an accessible reference on punctuation. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Apostrophe rules can be broken into four main categories.
The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. An quick and simple guide to the apostrophe, covering how to use the apostrophe and the rules on using it. If the phrase refers to books as a genre, written or intended for girls, the books would be girls books no apostrophe by rule e. Apostrophe s rules use of apostrophe in english spoken english guru girls girls. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the best punctuation book, period. Jan 04, 2017 learn when to use an apostrophe in your writing. Lets take a look at three different ways apostrophes dance around possessive words. The rules for the pronunciation of a noun with s are the same as the rules for pronunciation of plural forms of nouns. A comprehensive guide for every writer, editor, student, and.
With the addition of s or sometimes just the apostrophe, a noun can change from a simple person, place, or in english, we use the possessive case to illustrate ownership. Write on, fourth grade for all your apostrophe needs. Theoretically, an inanimate object or abstract idea cannot possess anything, but writers routinely use possessive endings with inanimate objects, as in the rockets red glare. Nov 07, 2016 apostrophe s rules use of apostrophe in english spoken english guru girls girls. I did a few minilessons with apostrophes recently, and well be doing these two chants throughout the school year for reminders. Mary and johns house the house belongs to both mary and john, edward and madeleines books the books belong to both edward and madeleine. Plural nouns ending in s form the genitive by adding an apostrophe. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. The simplest and most likely solution is to omit all apostrophes which dont convey any information, or questions like this wouldnt be asked and rely on syntax to distinguish the girls teams, and the boys teams. Years ago, this used to be a style choice, and it was quite common for style guides to recommend using an apostrophe to make abbreviations plural, but as time went on, more and more style guides stopped recommending the apostrophe. So you may have heard those rules, but the editors reversed their decision in the 16th edition of the stylebook. With singular nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe and s. And this misuse is so unnecessary because apostrophe rules are easy.
With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. Kushtia government girls high school is a girls high school. To indicate joint possession, add the appropriate possessive sign an apostrophe plus s or an apostrophe alone to the final name. She may have purchased it herself or received it as a gift, but it. An apostrophe and the letter s are used to show possession. If you remember these two yes, only two reasons, you will never misuse an apostrophe again. Apostrophes with names ending in s, ch, or z grammar and.
The adelaide phone book has a list headed schoolsgirls. Possession johns car, a friend of mine english grammar. Foreword by mignon fogarty grammar girl xvii introduction xix 1grammar 1 finding subjects and verbs 1 finding verbs. The only difference is that the plural of woman doesnt end in an s. We kept the fun going by reading the girls like spaghetti by grammar guru lynne truss. Grammar girl apostrophe rulesmemmax sok grammar girl apostrophe rulesapostrophe catastrophe part one get grammar girls take on apostrophe catastrophe. Dec 04, 2015 at last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your apostrophe david marsh simon griffins irreverent pocketsized guide to a tricky piece of punctuation is the perfect stocking filler. This guide will explain how to form the possessive case of nouns and provide examples you can use for reference in your writing. Its a silly book that points out how the meaning of a sentence can be completely changed by adding, moving, or deleting apostrophes. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real.
My girl s education is progressing well, but no apostrophe by rule e if education in general is meant e. Get our grammar book from the link below for more practice. With the addition of s or sometimes just the apostrophe, a noun can change from a simple person, place, or thing to a person, place, or thing that owns something. But just remember, in the case of its and its, an apostrophe is not needed for the possessive.
Fogarty not only offers the grammar rules, but clear and sticky examples that should help anyone. There are conflicting policies and theories about how to show possession when writing such nouns. A comprehensive guide for every writer, editor, student, and businessperson kindle edition by casagrande, june. Wondering when a noun should use s, s, s, or es to show possession. Apostrophe english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Johns books, in addition to indicating the plural form of lowercase letters. Apr 16, 2019 an apostrophe is used to show that certain letters have been omitted from a word contractions, i. The simplest and most likely solution is to omit all apostrophes which dont convey any information, or questions like this wouldnt be asked and rely on syntax to distinguish the girls teams, and the boys teams, from the girls and boys team. Apostrophe catastrophe part one todays topic is tough apostrophe issues. Apostrophes and proper nouns grammar blog the blue book of. Richard nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and english at georgia southern university and the author of several universitylevel grammar and composition textbooks. To show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. Nov 5, 2019 mastering english punctuation is difficult even for native english speakers.
The punctuation symbol can also be used to show the possessive form of a noun possessive apostrophe, i. The girl is the singular subject and the bicycle is the singular object. See rules 1b and 1c of apostrophes for more discussion. Nov 04, 2010 the punctuation mark is called apostrophe. Apostrophes are surprisingly easy to use because there are two yes, only two reasons to use an apostrophe.
The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries, or modals attached to other words. Nov 01, 2006 my head is spinning trying to remember and apply all the apostrophe rules that i learned 30 years ago. This video gives examples on how to use an apostrophe in english grammar. Apostrophe s rules as possessive s and as contracted ishas exercise decide what it stands for.
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