Lesson One. Use
apostrophes correctly for possession and contraction.
The Possessive Case of Nouns
1. The possessive case of nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s to words which do not end with an s or a z sound:
the boy's room, the children's school;
and by adding only the apostrophe to words which do end with an s or a z sound: the boys' room, Dickens' novel.
If, however, the word ending in s or z is a proper noun with only one syllable, an apostrophe and an s are added to the word: Keats's sonnets, Santa Claus's reindeer.
NOTE: Some classical names and other names that would he awkward to pronounce with an added apostrophe and s use only the apostrophe: Xerxes' chariot, Moses' tablets.
2. Care must be taken in forming the possessive form of nouns ending with y because although the singular and plural forms sound the same way, they are spelled differently.
the baby's cry [one baby's cry]
the babies' murmurings [the murmurings of several babies]
3. When possession is shared by two or more nouns, this
fact is indicated by using the possessive case for the last noun in the series: Jose, Fred, and Edward's canoe.
But when two or more nouns each possess different
objects, use apostrophes for each:
JoeŐs and ErnieŐs cars, MaryŐs and TiffanyŐs jobs
4. When two nouns refer
to the same person, the second noun is in the possessive case.
the mother of the bride's yellow dress [The bride probably wore white. If the phrase sounds awkward, the use of two possessives does not improve it much: the bride's mother's yellow dress.] Better: The yellow dress of the bride's mother.
5. Inanimate things do not normally "possess"
anything. The possessive form using the preposition of is
used in order to express an arrangement or part of inanimate things.
piles of coats NOT *coats' piles
the edge of the chisel NOT *the chisel's edge
However, writers have long made exception to this rule in such matters as time, money, and transportation: a day's work, a dollar's worth, the ship's compass. Today more and more inanimate things are taking the apostrophe form of the possessive: the razor's edge, the book's success, education's failure. Obviously, no clear rule can be stated where the razor's edge is approved and the chisel's edge is not.
6. To form the possessive of a plural noun that does not
end in s, add an apostrophe
and an s.
women +'s = womenŐs people +'s = peopleŐs trout + 's = troutŐs
7. To form the possessive of indefinite pronouns, use an apostrophe and an s.
everyone +'s = everyoneŐs no one +'s =no oneŐs
Personal Pronoun Possessives hers, its, theirs, yours, and oneself never have an apostrophe.
8. Use an apostrophe in a contraction. An apostrophe replaces one or more letters that are left out.
sheŐs = she is hasnŐt = has not shouldnŐt = should not itŐs = it is
itŐs is always it is
9. Use an apostrophe to show the omission of numbers in a
date.
the class of Ô85 (the class of 1985) an Ô84 Chevy (a 1984 Chevy)
10. Use an apostrophe and s to form the plurals of letters, figures, and words used as
words.
two AŐs three 10Ős no ifÔs, andŐs, or butŐs
POSSESSIVE CASE OF NOUNS:
Exercise 1
A possessive relationship is indicated in each of the following by the use of the words belonging to. Whenever it is correct to do so, rewrite the phrase using the possessive case with an apostrophe. When the use of the apostrophe is incorrect, rewrite the phrase using the preposition of.
EXAMPLES:
The hat belonging to John JohnŐs hat
The roof belonging to the house The roof of the house
I. The dress belonging to the woman
2. The club belonging to the women
3. The broom belonging to the janitor
4. The room belonging to the janitors
5. The novel belonging to Hughes
6. The chair belonging to the secretary
7. The suite belonging to the bosses
8. The mast belonging to the ship
9. The floor belonging to the room
10. The gyroscope belonging to the. airplane
11. The essay belonging to John Abrams
12. The canoe belonging to Dick and
John
13. The sweater belonging to Dick and the sweater belonging to John
14. The works belonging to Shakespeare
15. The house belonging to the
Smiths
16. The rails belonging to the
fence
17. The firm belonging to Salter, Stone, and Atlas
18. The firms belonging individually to Salter, Stone, and Atlas
19. The books belonging to Amos
20. The ring belonging to John's
mother-in-law
21. the gift of the class of 1999
22. the repeated letters in ŇMississippiÓ
23. the rings of the two girls
24. the idea of
someone
25. the right of
everyone
26. contraction of
let us
27. five of the
letter ŇbÓ
28. the fault of
the binary system
29. contraction of
are not
30. the RAM of the
computer
In each of the following, replace the of-phrase with the idiomatic expression using the apostrophe.
EXAMPLE:
work of a day a day's work
31. a tour of three weeks
32. worth of seven dollars
33. time of one hour
34. a vacation of two months
35. worth of his money
POSSESSIVE CASE OF NOUNS:
Exercise 2
Directions: Provide the proper
corrections to the following:
1. The shirt will not lose its color when its washed.
2. Our house is almost exactly like theirs.
3. All the mens names should be signed on the last page.
4. We called two doctors offices, but couldnt find any help.
5. The guide showed their friends the secret passage.
6. January sales in stores are often of womens coats.
7. We cant find a phone number in John Hollis name.
8. Theres a mistake in Mrs. Blacks bank account.
9. We like to watch the wild geeses flight each fall.
10. Where can I get a coat like yours?
11. Our records good, but theirs is better.
12. I want to ask for James advice.
13. Where did you put Mrs. Fergusons letter?
14. Both of my two bosses children were cute.
15. The letters mistakes should be sent to the newspapers section on retractions.
16. The 60s were a hippies delight.
17. To make the schools honor roll, you need all As and Bs.
18. How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?
19. How many snow days did we get in the Blizzard of 96?
20. Ben and Jerrys ice cream is the best.
Use of Apostrophes. Exercise 3
Directions: Put apostrophes in the correct position. You
may have to add or delete sŐs.
1. The teams progress was so fast it surprised their coaches.
2. All the girls names were separated from the names of the boys.
3. The tie he was wearing was Williams, but Toms coat was his own.
4. We found the employment records for 97, but not for this years work.
5. The stores sale on childrens sweaters was the biggest since 88.
6. The girls gave the boys a run for their money in both games.
7. The teachers questions often had two or more correct answers.
8. Nows the time for everyones loyalty to be tested.
9. The policemens salary increase passed, but the road workers didnŐt.
10. James parents were surprised by his math grades.
11. All that remained of the teachers contract was to dot the is and cross the ts.
12. The new sophomores name is Kaylee.
13. Our town is almost exactly like theirs, but we have a park along the lakes edge.
14. The Wilsons left for Florida, but they left their cars behind.
15. Toms reason for leaving school didnt please his parents.
16. The two coaches decision to bench the captain affected the teams play.
17. The two helpers answers to the question were different, but both were correct.
18. Johns and Bettys mother worked for the Peoples Trust Corporation.
19. The times are changing, but the river rolls on.
20. Simons and Schyusters law firms were competitors for the big contract.