At other times, though, these important punctuation marks are completely absent. the commander-in-chief’s cowardice. Magoosh blog comment policy: To create the best experience for our readers, we will only approve comments that are relevant to the article, general enough to be helpful to other students, concise, and well-written! 2. Rather, it indicates that something belongs to someone or something: Tim’s hairstyle delighted all who beheld it. Tutors may deduce points if you use them. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. An apostrophe with an "s" after a proper noun indicates that the person, place or thing owns whatever noun follows his or her name. With nouns that end in s and don’t change their form from the singular to the plural: many TV series’ ratings (my favourite series’ lead actor) Check that the apostrophe stands in its proper place. Don’t forget to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. One common error is adding an apostrophe when forming plurals. Words containing apostrophes are very common in casual written English, like a book or a letter to your friend, but apostrophes are not normally used in scientific writing. You can’t have. However, you should not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns. Apostrophes are properly used in only two circumstances, for contractions and to indicate possession. In this post, we will show you how to use apostrophes in academic writing. Privacy policy | Website terms of use | XML sitemap. This mistake is due to the pronunciation. When people own something together, only one apostrophe is needed: Jerry and Jessica’s dairy farm could be seen from the highway. The Trotskys taught the Tracys that sharing is caring. a week’s pay If you like to scour maps, you’ll notice that a lot of place names have dropped their apostrophes. Moreover, a department in a shoeshop could not be called *lady's shoes, because what the shop is selling is shoes for ladies, and not *shoes for lady, which is meaningless. Due to the high volume of comments across all of our blogs, we cannot promise that all comments will receive responses from our instructors. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. Ownership with certain proper nouns … She likes to use &’s in her writing One of the simplest ways to figure out whether or not to include an apostrophe is to determine if the word is a contraction. or Who's got a corkscrew? Everyone in town knew that (Trisha’s/Trishas’) stew was better than anyone (else’s/elses). a dollar’s worth. The latter is used when the name ends with an s or a similar sound (sh, ch, x, or z): The Joneses and the Larches played shinny on the frozen pond. In all of these cases, the apostrophe stands in for the missing letters. Actually, you will want to avoid them whenever possible. In either case, failure to use apostrophes correctly can affect the quality of your writing. Contractions are words which are composed of two individual words, such as isn’t , they’re , and they’ll . it's=it is … The apostrophe is used to indicate possession (e.g., Tom’s plan, the cat’s whiskers) and to show the omission of letters where a word has been contracted (e.g., I can’t remember the ’80s for I cannot remember the 1980s). The plane made its descent. When I rewrite the parents of those kids as those kids’ parents, I add the apostrophe after the actual word in the possessive case (not kid’s, but kids’). Similar to making contractions, an apostrophe should be used with years when omitting numbers. The apostrophe suggests more that the market is owned by the farmers, whereas the adjective form clarifies what kind of market it is. It is very bad style to spatter e.g. In some for … sake expressions where the noun ends with an s (or sounds like it does): However, this is not an iron rule for nouns that only sound like they end with an s (e.g., you can write appearance’s sake or appearance’ sake). If, however, Mike and Mollie each have a baby that doesn’t belong to the other person, you should say Mike’s and Mollie’s babies. Sales Copywriting: 3 Tips to Anticipate Buyer Concerns. One way to check if you’re dealing with possession is to turn the phrase into an “of” construction: Sinbad’s adventures = the adventures of Sinbad. the moose’s migration. Can they ever make something plural? The principal is OK’ing the decision to start a new art club at school. All my (neighbor’s/neighbors’/neighbors) apple trees bloom before mine. When showing that something belongs to someone or something, you use an apostrophe. This can also makes your writing sound more formal. Use an apostrophe to indicate ownership by a proper noun. everybody else’s homework We highly encourage students to help each other out and respond to other students' comments if you can! my mother-in-law’s criticisms In this example, the babies belong to both Mike and Mollie. The ONLY case when you use apostrophes for contraction in a research paper is when you directly cite another person’s words. If you’re confused about these two, don’t be embarrassed. However, in some cases it is difficult to know whether you’re dealing with possession or not: Is it farmer’s market, farmers’ market, or farmers market? Writing a research paper without any grammar mistakes may be challenging, and here is a quick guide for you to follow. Step Up For Students’ scholarships. Words which already end in an ‘s’, meanwhile, can be modified with either an ‘-’s’ or just an apostrophe (the important thing is being consistent): The other use of apostrophes is to form contractions. Other examples include "China's foreign policy" and "the orchestra's conductor." Reread your sentence with the full words rather than the contraction: Since you can’t replace “its” with “it is”, you should use the possessive pronoun. Registration confirmation will be emailed to you. However, remember that the original phrase is should have, as in “I should have done that.” The phrase should of should never occur. Socrates’ suicide When the noun standing for the possessor is plural and ending in –s, add only an apostrophe without, When the noun is plural, but not ending in –s, use an apostrophe followed by, When the noun is singular and ends in –s, you can use either an apostrophe followed by, Whatever form you prefer, stick to it throughout the paper. the boy’s ball). This includes words like: This can get a little confusing when you have contractions that look and sound like these possessive pronouns (its and it’s, who’s and whose, or your and you’re). (It is). A bit of good news. Normally you should not use the apostrophe to form the plural of a noun. Sometimes they form contractions. If you’re talking about the 1950s, you could drop the first two numbers and leave it as the ‘50s. Yet despite the confusion that apostrophes cause, it’s quite easy to master this important element of punctuation. If you're sending mail to the Continent, it's advisable to use continental 1s and 7s in the address. Examples ü contractions (e.g. Apostrophes are used to show that a noun or pronoun is in the possessive case. The reason is that academic writing involves using a formal tone, while apostrophes are mostly used in informal writing. (Note: it is best to generally avoid the use of shortened forms of words in academic writing as they are regarded as informal language.) Make sure you don’t use an apostrophe for the following possessive pronouns: On the other hand, indefinite pronouns do take an apostrophe: Never use an apostrophe for the plural of names. When talking about a specific decade the 1920s should be shortened to the ’20s. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. You can use a free grammar checking tool, e. g. Grammarly, to deal with these. Find out how to become an apostrophe expert with this Bitesize KS3 English guide. So when you add the apostrophe to show possession, it looks like this: The Nguyens’ restaurant was vandalized. It’s Marlin’s cup.” Since the cup belongs to Marlin, you need to add the apostrophe and -s after his name. Sign up or log in to Magoosh Professional Writing. There is a further point about writing possessives: when you add an apostrophe-s or an apostrophe alone to form a possessive, the thing that comes before the apostrophe must be a real English word, and it must also be the right English word. A noticeable exception is its, meaning belonging to it (as it's means 'it is'). To show that a letter or letters are missing For example: I'm going to the zoo. This is wrong, wrong, wrong ‹ but it is one of the commonest of all punctuation errors. Use apostrophes to show possession, where it comes before the 's' (Sally's), except when the person's name ends in 's', when it comes after the 's' (Dickens'). Some of the ones you might see are: Contractions are typically used in less formal writing to make your writing sound more conversational. Just add an s or es. the glass’s contents. MS Word will fix some obvious confusions, e. g. havent or doesnt, by automatically inserting an apostrophe. Unfortunately, the only way to remember this is rote memorization (or perhaps a closer examination of the word of). If in doubt, you could use an “of” construction instead: the parables of Jesus, etc. The best way to use these correctly is to remember that possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe: if there’s an apostrophe with a pronoun, it’s a contraction, not a possessive. P.S. Please remember, though, that these are not hard and fast rules. ain’t = am not; are not; is not. Other examples of possession with singular subjects include: But what happens if the word doing the possessing already ends with the letter s? With possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s to represent that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it. If this sounds awkward, just remember that you would say a daughter of mine (where mine is a possessive pronoun) and not a daughter of me. The most important of these to remember is ‘its’, as many people wrongly add an apostrophe before the ‘s’: Tim was frustrated with the barber shop: its opening hours were unpredictable. Therefore, you only need to use one apostrophe—Mike and Mollie’s babies. Use apostrophes to show missing letters in words. You don’t buy Ben’s and Jerry’s ice cream; you buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, because the company belongs to both Ben and Jerry. When there is no common ownership, you need separate apostrophes: We admired Elsa’s and Jaspreet’s ultrasounds. or person to say that something (or someone) belongs to them. teacher’s college). Contractions are typically used in less formal writing to make your writing sound more conversational. Even though apostrophes are common in everyday writing, they are relatively rare in academic papers. a summer’s day Apostrophes are just one of the punctuation marks we use on a regular basis. As you see in the examples above, the forms using apostrophes are more concise and flow better. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Apostrophes can be tricky. In the case of verbs, the shortened forms sometimes look quite different from the original (the worst offender being ain’t): don’t = do not The conventional spelling its is no doubt totally illogical, but it's nonetheless conventional, and spelling the possessive as it's will cause many readers to turn up their noses at you. This distinguishes ‘it’s’ from the possessive pronoun ‘its’. Check out these sentences: If you choose to write out the entire year, just remember that you shouldn’t add an apostrophe between the year and the letter s. This isn’t grammatically correct, unless the year is possessing something. There are no if’s and but’s about it. won’t = will not You can use a free grammar checking tool, e. g. Grammarly, to deal with these. The exceptions to this rule are possessive pronouns, such as ‘his’ or ‘her’, which don’t require an apostrophe. Notice that the apostrophe curls away from the numbers, indicating that the missing characters originally appeared prior to the apostrophe. However, if you understand the basic idea of possession, then these outliers will provide little trouble. the constitution’s detractors In other words, one thing belongs to another: Sinbad’s adventures You will not be using many of these in your academic paper. If you are a Premium Magoosh student and would like more personalized service from our instructors, you can use the Help tab on the Magoosh dashboard. (comp. However, this is a stylistic choice, and in most cases you can just drop the additional s at the end of the word. Consult this guide to avoid common errors in the use of apostrophes. Plural nouns which end in an ‘s’ can then be modified with a possessive apostrophe: The apples’ cores lay discarded on the ground. In this post, we will show you how to use apostrophes in academic writing… It is, of course, never appropriate to use such colloquial forms in formal writing, except when you are explicitly writing about colloquial English. When to Use an Apostrophe: Years Similar to making contractions, an apostrophe should be used with years when omitting numbers. 4. Apostrophe (’) looks like a comma hanging at the top of the line. Essay UK offers students a complete range of free resources for undergraduate, post graduate, PhD and professional courses. Sorry. By historical accident, this has come to be regarded as a single word in English. When the noun ends with an “us” or “eez” sound: Jesus’ parables Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It also comes after the 's' in plurals, (thus dentists' means possession by more than one dentist). Now that we’ve learned about both contraction and possession, let’s take a look at some of the most common (or at least most called out) errors people make. offers professional writing lesson videos for all levels of writers! When you’re dealing with biblical or classical names (note the overlap with 1): 3. Apostrophes can also be used to create contractions (words like "can't" and "didn't"); however, contractions are rarely used in academic writing. In English, it is used to indicate possession (Sam’s book, Mary’s dress) and to contract words (don’t instead of do not, you’re instead of you are). With possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s to represent that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it. When multiple words are combined in one unit it’s called a compound noun. The apostrophe has two, and only two, uses: to show possession and to indicate the omission of letters or numbers. This isn’t necessary. (It is) While you should write to your teacher’s preference, keep in mind that leaving out contractions can often make your words sound over formal and stilted. He will becomes he’ll, are not becomes aren’t, would have becomes would’ve, and it is becomes it’s. Apostrophes are used … the incumbent’s election strategy. isn’t) or indicate the relationship between two words (e.g. The apostrophe is not used when you’re making a word plural except in two very specific cases: When you need to pluralize a lowercase letter referred to as a letter. She's trying to keep up with the Joneses. MS Word will fix some obvious confusions, e. g. be challenging to spot. And there is no English word spelled *its' ‹ this is another common error for its. You can’t have Thomas’ in one paragraph and Thomas’s in another. Many people make the mistake of underusing or overusing apostrophes in their writing. It's a lovely day out, isn't it? However, an exception is made for the plurals of numbers, letters, symbols, and words referred to as words: Dot your i’s and cross your t’s 3. The most common instances for when to use an apostrophe are writing contractions or showing possession. These constructions are typically avoided in formal and academic writing. Writing a research paper without any grammar mistakes may be challenging, and here is a quick guide for you to follow. This rule is not applied rigorously though, and in some cases (especially abbreviations) it may be preferable to omit the apostrophe: In fact, in the plural form of decades it is now customary to leave out the apostrophe: Gutenberg invented his printing press in the late 1430s. Thanks! This research was carried out in the 1970s. 2. A contraction is a shortened form of a word (or group of words) that omits certain letters or sounds. This is especially the case when indicating time or quantity: tomorrow’s agenda Here are the basic rules to show possession. Before the (1860s/1860’s/1860s’), no one knew that heating a liquid would kill off bacteria. the tree’s branches (There is an English word spelled it's, of course, and indeed I've just used it in the preceding sentence, but this is not a possessive: it's the contracted form of it is or of it has. If you’re mentioning a single letter or abbreviation and need to add a suffix, use an apostrophe. Plan on adding the apostrophe at the end of the word, and, if it sounds okay, add an additional -s after it. Confusion of you’re (you are), you and your is one of the most common errors that even native English speakers make. So, you could refer to Charles’s book or Charles’ book. The mistake is very conspicuous, but fortunately it's also easy to fix ‹ there's only one word ‹ so learn the standard spelling. Commas: A Guide to the Most Common Patterns, Commas Around Non-Essential Information: Quiz, Commas Between Coordinate Adjectives: Quiz, Colons Between Independent Clauses: Quiz 1. A complex algebraic equation, for example, might contain three a’s and two i’s. Copyright 2020 Applied Research Consulting Ltd, Email:                 help@15writers.com, ------------------------------------------, Apostrophe (’) looks like a comma hanging at the top of the line. The employees of Tesco -> Tesco’s employees, The money of the fund -> the fund’s money, The daughter of the founder -> the founder’s daughter. Out loud both of these phrases sound exactly the same. Find out more here. NO: The investors haven’t yet estimated the cash flows. Such a mistake is called “the grocer’s apostrophe,” because of its common occurrence on signs and advertising. Your email address will not be published. Several of the Eleanor Crosses are still standing today. Thus, for example, something like *ladie's shoes is impossible, because there is no such word as *ladie. You know that you should use an apostrophe to show possession. In English, nouns often take on the role of adjectives (e.g., the school play, tunnel vision), in which case there is no need for an apostrophe to indicate possession (not the school’s play or tunnel’s vision). © 2020 Professional Writing. You may find yourself being steered away from using contractions in your papers. If you're sending mail to the Continent, it's advisable to use continental 1's and 7's in the address. it’s = it is All you need to remember is that apostrophes have two main uses: indicating possession and contractions. 's through your writing. But just this one: we do not write *womenswear or *childrenswear. However it’s is a contraction for it is, whereas its shows possession: It’s almost bedtime. However, were in place of we’re or well in place of we’ll can be challenging to spot. In such cases you are encouraged to add only an apostrophe. Whatever form you prefer, stick to it throughout the paper. the bus’s colour However, by replacing “your” with “you are”, it becomes apparent that you should use a contraction with an apostrophe in the second example. Apostrophes can often be tricky to use. the women’s washroom Given that informal constructions are omitted in research reports, apostrophes also disappear from there. Put another person’s words in double quotation marks. (A) This research was carried out in the 1970's. Each version has a slightly different ring. Similar irregularities occur with company names. my sisters-in-law’s holiday plans In some rare cases an apostrophe can be used to form a plural. Contractions using apostrophes (doesn’t, haven’t, we’re, we’ll) are bad academic style. 1. In technical writing, acronyms and numbers are frequently pluralized with the addition of an apostrophe + s, but this is falling out of favor, and there is typically no need to put an apostrophe in front of the s. Therefore, SSTs (sea surface temperatures) is more acceptable than SST’s when your intention is simply to pluralize. This test also helps us to figure out where the apostrophe goes. The correct form is ladies' shoes. Unfortunately, using an of construction works less well when the relationship between nouns is more abstract. (Compare that lady's shoes, which is fine.). )The same goes for possessive whose: this cannot be spelled as *who's, though again there is a word who's, a contraction of who is or of who has, as in Who's your friend? For example, if you’re discussing the babies of Mike and Mollie, should both subjects have an apostrophe? This is also common when combining the subject of a sentence with words like ‘is’ or ‘has’: Laura is dancing wildly → Laura’s dancing wildly, Her work has impressed everyone → Her work’s impressed everyone. YES: The investors have not yet estimated the cash flows. To show possession In the singular a painting of Esther’s. Finally, in some names the apostrophe appears to indicate a contraction but is actually used to indicate pronunciation, or to tie words together. The plural of ‘apple’, for example, is ‘apples’ (not ‘apple’s’). The Smiths’ Lego collection fills the entire basement. This occurs when combining two words to make an abbreviation: Apostrophes in contractions indicate missing letters. For example, in academic writing the trend is to retain the s after the apostrophe, whereas news publications are more likely to drop it. the siblings’ secrets If you have any interviews, double-check these forms in your transcripts. CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c2_p3.html, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/punctuation/the-apostrophe/v/choosing-between-its-and-its-the-apostrophe-punctuation-khan-academy, her professors’ office (an office shared by two of her professors; if it were just one professor we would write, “(Who’s/Whose) cookies are these?” May asked. For example, the apostrophe in the Irish name O’Neill does not indicate omitted letters, because O is an anglicized version of the Gaelic ua, or descendant. Eugene’s apple Learning how to use apostrophes correctly will positively impact your writing by clarifying the ideas for your reader. anyone’s game

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