More Related Content Similar to Apostrophe (20) Apostrophe1. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
The apostrophe has only a handful of
uses, but these uses are very
important. A misplaced apostrophe
can be annoying â not to mention
lonely.
The apostrophe is used:
1. to create possessives
2. to show contractions
3. to create some plural forms
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2. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
The apostrophe is used to create
possessive forms for singular and
plural nouns, especially nouns
referring to people.
the mayorâs car, my fatherâs moustache
Pedritoâs sister, Joe Kennedyâs habits
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3. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
When a noun already ends in âs,â you
can decide whether or not to use
another âsâ after the apostrophe.
Charlesâs car OR Charlesâ car
With multisyllabic words, donât add another âsâ
after the apostrophe.
Dumasâ second novel, Jesusâ birth,
Socratesâ ideas, Illinoisâ legislature
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4. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
To form the possessive of an inanimate
object, weâre usually better off using an
âof phrase,â but the apostrophe
possessive is not impossible, especially
with expressions of time and in
personifications.
The roar of the greasepaint,
the smell of the crowd
a yearâs salary, my heartâs desire, your
dollarâs worth, the paperâs conclusion
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5. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
To form the possessive of a plural noun, we
pluralize first and then add the apostrophe.
The Kennedysâ house
The childrenâs playhouse
The travelersâ expectations
Notice that with an irregular plural, the apostrophe
will come before the âs.â
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6. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
A contraction allows us to blend sounds by
omitting letters from a verb construction. The
apostrophe shows where something is left out.
I am a student here = Iâm a student
here.
I have been working on the railroad. = Iâve
been working on the railroad.
They could have been great together. = They
couldâve been great together.
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7. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
More contraction examples:
Let us go. = Letâs go.
Who is there? = Whoâs there?
It is Dierdre. = Itâs Dierdre.
REMINDER: Itâs is a contraction for âit isâ;
the possessive of it = its (no apostrophe).
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8. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
The apostrophe is also used to form the
plural of digits and letters . . .
The word Mississippi has four sâs.
She got three Aâs and two Bâs last semester.
She dotted all her iâs very carefully.
. . . and to indicate omission of a number in a
date:
summer of â99; class of â38
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9. THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
The mighty apostrophe doesnât mind
being used, but it wants to be used
wisely.
Use it well and it will be there whenever
you need it!
You can now review the apostrophe and the
other marks of punctuation in the
Guide to Grammar and Writing.
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10. This PowerPoint presentation was created by
Charles Darling, PhD
Professor of English and Webmaster
Capital Community College
Hartford, Connecticut
copyright November 1999
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