The Complete Guide to Writing in English

Punctuation Apostrophes

The apostrophe is a very useful punctuation mark and learning how to use it properly is very simple.

There are really only two cases in English where an apostrophe is used; possession and omission. These are pretty self-explanatory but the rules as to how and when the apostrophe is applied in these situations seem to throw many people for a loop.

There are many people and groups out there who are passionate about what they deem the rampant misuse of the apostrophe in written English but I must stress that I am not one of them. My purpose in writing this guide is not to load you down with tons of minute rules concerning the placement of every mark known to man; but rather to help you simplify your writing by teaching you the most common correct uses so that your writing looks better.

There are many resources available where you can look up the arcane and extraordinary uses for the apostrophe, but I will be restricting my guide to what most Wattpad writers should know. If your work needs to make use of a rule that I didn't mention; first, are you sure you want to complicate your life like that; and second, google it.

Like always, rules are in regular type and examples are in italics.

Apostrophe (')

Used to show possession:

To show possession for a noun that does not end in s, or a plural that does not end in s; add an apostrophe followed by an s.

The blanket belonging to the dog is the dog's blanket.

The smell of that lovely flower is a rose's true delight.

The women's bathroom is always crowded.

To show possession for a noun that ends in s or a plural that ends in s; add only an apostrophe at the end.

The dogs' loud barking makes the Jones' house noticeable.

Do not use apostrophes when writing these possessive pronouns and adjectives; its, hers, his, theirs, ours, yours, and whose.

It's a great day when the dog catches its tail.

Who's to say whose money this is?

They're adamant that it's theirs.

Using an apostrophe can completely change the meaning of your sentence.

My mother's friend's papers (The papers belong to a friend of my mother.)

My mothers' friend's papers (The papers belong to a friend of several of my mothers.)

My mother's friends' papers (The papers belong to several friends of my mother.)

My mothers' friends' papers (The papers belong to several friends of all my mothers.)

Used to show omission:

Use an apostrophe to show when letters have been left out to make a contraction.

I'm (I am), I'd (I would, I had), I'll (I will, I shall), I've (I have)

You'll (You will, You shall), You'd (You would, You had), You're (You are), You've (You have)

It's (It is, it has), It'd (It would, it had)

We're (We are), We'd (We had, we would), We've (We have)

Can't (Cannot), Don't (Do not), Shan't (Shall not), Won't (Will not), Haven't (Have not)

Couldn't (Could not), Wouldn't (Would not), Shouldn't (Should not), Could've (Could have)

Etc.

Use an apostrophe in a name when it's called for.

O'Brien, O'Bannon, etc.

Use an apostrophe for writing the time (it's a contraction for of the clock).

Twelve o'clock

There are a few other instances where you will find you need to use an apostrophe to show plural or past tense in writing.

The boxer KO'd his opponent early in the third round.

The 69'ers are going to the playoffs.

Be sure to cross your i's and dot your t's.

Telling the difference between possessives and contractions.

There are a few pairs of words that are homonyms and their meanings completely change based on spelling and apostrophes. I am only going to mention the ones here which involve apostrophes and I will go into this in greater detail later.

The best way to tell if you need to use the contraction or not is to try saying the sentence with the contraction un-contracted. If it makes no sense, you don't need the contraction; if it does, you do. It really is that easy.

Its/It's

Its is the possessive pronoun, it's is the contraction for it is or it has.

It's not nice to watch the cat lick its fur.

It is not nice to watch the cat lick it (is? has? no!) fur.

The first it's makes sense un-contracted but the second doesn't. Therefore, the first one needs an apostrophe and the second doesn't. Easy as pie.

They're/Their/There

They're means they are, their is possessive for a group, and there is a physical place.

They're trying to see if they left their bags over there.

They are trying to see if they left (the bags that belong to them) over (in a physical place).

The first one needs an apostrophe, the second is possessive and needs a weird spelling (see, no i before e, just like their) and the third is a place (where? there! see how they're spelled the same).

Who's/Whose

Who's is the contraction for who is or who has and whose is a possessive pronoun.

Who's to say whose money this is?

Who is to say who (is? has? no, this is referring to who owns the money) money this is?

The first one can be broken down into two words so uses an apostrophe while the second is the possessive.

I think this is everything that a writer needs to know about apostrophes to make almost every story look polished and professional. It's very easy to get this right once you get in the habit so practice, a lot. Figure out what rules stick in your head to help you remember when, where, and why to use an apostrophe and go over them every time you are writing a tricky word until it becomes second nature.

There is no magic formula for this because spell checker is usually wrong about it or doesn't pick up when you mix up words like this. You have to put in the effort to learn these and put them into practice every time you write.

You have nothing to lose and your writing will benefit from it, so stop putting it off and making excuses.