For example, the students books are the books that belong to the students, as opposed to the students books which only belong to one student. Not surprisingly, its also one of the most misused. How do you know when to add an apostrophe to more than one of something that forms a proper noun, such as a persons last name. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. If there are two as in the word, we might easily mistake the word a s for as. Learn about punctuation in a simple way with many example sentences using the contents from our english grammar book. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is filled with easytounderstand rules,realworld examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre and posttests. While that may sound simple enough, many people are baffled by the little squiggle. You will find the rule and practice questions for your students. Where this one gets tricky is that theres one type of word that does not use an apostrophe to make it possessive. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Apostrophes quiz 2 the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Rule 2 of apostrophes from the blue book of grammar and punctuation says.
It is perfectly correct and accepted usage to end a sentence with an apostrophe, but what is technically correct may not always satisfy the ear. The word shop is implied in the sentence, we know its there but we do not write or say it. Jul 24, 2019 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. Apostrophes quiz 1 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Jan 11, 2018 whenever youre not sure whether an apostrophes required or where it goes, this flowchart will guide you in using apostrophes correctly. Nov 04, 2010 the punctuation mark is called apostrophe. To show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. The blue book of grammar and punctuation jane straus february 26 if anybody finds any body of evidence to prove the theory that breath is. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. In speech, the accent stays on the same syllable as usual, as if the o were still present. A contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words that omits certain letters or sounds.
The apostrophe is used to show 1 possessives of nouns and some pronouns, 2 contractions, and 3 some plurals. To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Oct 01, 2014 i want to go over how to use apostrophes to show possession in your writing. The ultimate flowchart to using apostrophes infographic. How to make letters and acronyms plural monday, july 2nd, 2018. If susan and gary are the names of the little girls mother and father respectively, the first of their names should be in the nominative case and the second should be in the genitive case. One never forms plurals out of english words via an apostrophe. We all learn english grammar in school and they we forget to follow the rules, today when indian education system has reached to its ugliest end. You can show possession the long way or the short way. I have never written a book before, but it was definitely on the bucket list of things to do.
To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es. As for the previous answer, its better but still slightly off. If youre trying to say that the book belongs to her, you say it is the book is hers. The apostrophe recognize an apostrophe when you see one. In that case, an apostrophe is written instead of o. For each of the following, choose the correct sentence. You do not use an apostrophe to indicate possession by a nonentity. Although the apostrophe might look like a comma defying gravity, this mark of punctuation has three distinct jobs.
Phrase b is not correct simply because it lacks an article before the singular noun student. State grammar school takes lesson from independents and tracks down. Sep 11, 2015 4 simple things to remember about apostrophes apostrophes can seem like trivial, petty little things, and hardly worth the trouble they cause. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. Maybe you know to write i met the smiths, i drove brenda smiths ferrari, and i visited the smiths house. Students do not want to study, parents are busy in their daily job or business. I created a summary powerpoint focused on apostrophes. Looking for a signs of wear to disqualify the issue as mint, sheldon inspected the comic b booksc corners and spine. This is the usual way to say that john has gone to buy some bread or whatever else is sold there at the bakers shop. In english there is one form of punctuation that causes a lot of problems. In many ways it was a lot like writing, just general technical documentation when, you know, youve been in consulting for years, so im sure youve written hundreds of pages of like technical documentation when youre creating deliverables for a client. Note that the position of the apostrophe before or after the s depends on whether the word is a plural form ending in s. Or if you want to say that the book s cover is red, you say its cover is red. The apostrophe learning english grammar collins education.
A society launched to protect the apostrophe is shutting down due to what members. May 17, 2016 apostrophes are often mistakenly omitted in common expressions such as at arms length and at wits end. I want to go over how to use apostrophes to show possession in your writing. If the apostrophe appears before the letter s then it may denote that the possessive case is singular, i. If a name ends in ch, but is pronounced with a hard k sound, its. The blue book of grammar and punctuation jane straus. The genitive of regular plural nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe at the end of the word. Teachers are marginally paid and not been trained to develop and cater their craft. The blue book of grammar and punctuation, eleventh edition. See rules 1b and 1c of apostrophes for more discussion. From a plural noun phrase the dogs, we can form the possessive the dogs, and use this possessive before the plural noun tails to get the dogs tails the tails of the dogs. Apostrophe grammar underground with june casagrande. It can be used when you explain the difference between the two apostrophes, especially the difference between had and would in d and verb to be, possession, and has got in s.
The first reason to use an apostrophe is in a contraction. The apostrophe indicates a possessive, not a plural. Try i got the costumes for the guys but not for the girls, which eliminates the slight ambiguity. The blue book of grammar and punctuation and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. May 31, 20 apostrophes are surprisingly easy to use because there are two yes, only two reasons to use an apostrophe. You dont have to be a grammar wizard to get the right answer. This handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, esl students, homeschoolers, and professionals.
And thats what apostrophe indicates it isnt a general clue that a word is shortened in some way. Nov 02, 2017 an apostrophe can also stand in for one or more missing letters in a contraction, like dont or couldnt or its. If you remember these two yes, only two reasons, you will never misuse an apostrophe again. If you are not sure how this punctuation mark should be used, then check out these three tips on how to use apostrophes properly.
But what if the name is sanchez or church or williams. They are a book seller so youd think they should know better. We dont have punctuation to indicate that, so we just write it. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. It doesnt make sense to put an apostrophe after ya, because no letters have been omitted. And then finally some of you may be wanting to throw an apostrophe here after 1880s but remember the rule was only with lowercase letters, so this is something i see a lot, you never want to throw an apostrophe in when you are making a time period plural, you just add that s there. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real. Apostrophes quiz 1 the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Use an apostrophe to indicate a noun is possessive. When the noun ends in an s, put the apostrophe after the s. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one of the most highly trusted english language resources available.
Plurals, possessives, and apostrophes janes grammar nugget. The apostrophe goes before the final s with singular nouns or names, but after the s in the plural. The apostrophe is one of the hardest working punctuation marks in the english language. It has no apostrophe, and possessive forms of nouns must have an apostrophe, in both singular and plural. Are you confused about how to show the plural and the possessive of certain names. Plurals, possessives, and apostrophes janes grammar. This handout can be a poster about apostrophe s and apostrophe d. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Charles s company charles c ompany socrates i deas illinois governor dont add another s after an apostrophe in multisyllable words that ending in s 5. A plural possessive, for plurals that end in s, is formed by adding just an apostrophe after the s at. The apostrophe is simply a device to prevent confusion.
Apostrophes punctuation rules blue book of grammar. A singular possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe s s to the end of the word. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s. Apostrophe protection society disbands because ignorance and. Today, were sharing some of her tips for dealing with three more grammar bugs. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. 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. Jun 25, 2008 jane straus, late author of the blue book of grammar and punctuation, has helped thousands of readers make sense of grammar. However, it is only possible to omit the o ending when it is not followed by the j or n endings. May 31, 2010 possessives ending in s you decide whether to use another s after an apostrophe when a noun already ends in s. Apostrophes are only little, like commas in the air, but they influence the sound of a word and are an important part of written english. 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. Jane often said that many people have been taught incorrectly, so were confident her timeless tips can help us unlearn bad grammar habits.
The english plural of morpheus is simply the regular plural morpheuses. However, note here that its is a contraction of it is, so the apostrophe is correct. Each of the dogs has a single tail, separately, but because there are multiple dogs, the dogs as a group have multiple tails. The apostrophe is perhaps one of the most misused punctuation marks in the english language. All it takes is the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Debate has raged among grammarians over some of its more esoteric uses,but the rules for its two most important functions possession and omission are pretty clear.
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