Rules For Apostrophe 's'

Apostrophe 'S'

The apostrophe is a punctuation mark that indicates possession, which is ownership, or missing letters in contractions. You will encounter various times when the apostrophe followed by 's' is called for in grammar. Once you read and understand the rules in this lesson, you will be able to use the apostrophe 's' with ease and confidence.

We will look at various examples you may encounter so that you have the opportunity to practice each rule. Pay close attention to both the correct and incorrect examples, so you can familiarize yourself with common mistakes.

Rules for Possessive Nouns

When it comes to making nouns possessive, there are a few things you must consider. Remember that possession is showing ownership. 'The house of John' and 'the car of Sue' are awkward ways to say or write what can be said or written in a more streamlined way using the apostrophe 's.' There are a few rules for making nouns possessive that will help you along the way.

Singular Nouns

When you have a singular noun and want to show possession, you simply add apostrophe 's' at the end of the word.

Correct

• The girl's bike
• The man's house
• The dog's toy
• The bus's seats

Incorrect

• The girls bike
• The mans house
• The dogs toy
• The buss seats

Plural Nouns

A plural noun that does not end in 's' needs an apostrophe 's' to form the possessive.

Correct

• The men's game
• The children's toys
• The women's meeting

Incorrect

• The mens' game
• The childrens' toys
• The womens' meeting

A plural noun that ends in 's' means you need to add only an apostrophe.

Correct

• Four tigers' cubs played happily together.
• Three babies' mothers chatted about their progress.
• The parents' children were all in the play.

Incorrect

• Four tigers cubs played happily together.
• Three babies mothers chatted about their progress.
• The parents children were all in the play.

Compound Words

When you have a compound word, add apostrophe 's' to the end of the compound.

• The salesman's hair was brown.
• Her sister-in-law's mother loved to visit in the summer.
• The copy editor's marks were indicative of a need for rewriting.
• The runner-up's medal was well deserved.

Joint Ownership

When you are dealing with joint ownership, add an apostrophe 's' after the last noun.

Correct

• Mary and Juan's house was broken into.
• Susan and Carolyn's sister moved to Phoenix.

Incorrect

• Mary's and Juan's house was broken into.
• Susan's and Carolyn's sister moved to Phoenix.

Separate Ownership

But, if you want to show separate ownership, then you need to add apostrophe 's' to each noun.

Correct

• Both Cheryl's and Martha's exercise programs are vigorous.
• Fred's and William's work schedules both change each week.

Incorrect

• Both Cheryl and Martha's exercise programs are vigorous.
• Fred and William's work schedules both change each week.

Proper Names Ending in 'S'

When proper names end in 's,' people often get confused about how to form a possessive plural. The rule is you need to add 'es' and then an apostrophe.

Correct

• The Bateses' car was stolen.
• The Williamses' dog ran away.

Incorrect

• The Bates' car was stolen.
• The Williams' dog ran away.

Rules for Contractions

We commonly use the apostrophe 's' in a contraction with a noun or pronoun to take the place of the verb 'is.' Less commonly, we see it used in place of the verbs 'does' and 'has.' We can also use the apostrophe 's' with the verb 'let' to take the place of the pronoun 'us.' When you see the examples, you will know just what we mean.

Correct

• He's going to park the car in the garage.
• The walk's going to be incredibly long.
• Let's go to the beach.

Incorrect

• Hes' walking to the store for ice cream.
• Lets run to the gym.
• The cups made of plastic.