Thursday, November 8, 2012

Apostrophe Part Two



The second definition of apostrophe is the punctuation mark that looks like a tiny little balloon blowing away in the wind.

Most people use it correctly in contractions. But some people get confused when using it in a possessive case. So here’s a quick review:

Singular noun: Make it possessive by adding an apostrophe s: the boy’s basketball.

Plural noun ending in s: Make it possessive by only adding an apostrophe: the boys’ basketball team.

Plural noun not ending in s: Make it possessive by adding an apostrophe s: the women’s soccer team.

These three rules should be strictly followed. The only exception is in proper names that end in s. This is a bit of a gray area. In most cases, follow the singular noun rule: George Lucas’s movies.

But if the proper name is an ancient historical one, then the normal practice is to just add an apostrophe: Jesus’ teachings.       
 
That’s all for now, kids. Keep writing.

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