Apostrophes are a problem for students because they can have trouble knowing when to use them and when not to. Many people run into problems when they try to use apostrophes for plural words, possessive nouns, and when forming contractions.
for example: Mary's bag is red.
for example: 'could not' becomes 'couldn't'
Incorrect: Susies dogs friends owner waved to Susie.
Correct: Susie's dog’s friend’s owner waved to Susie.
Incorrect: The wild dog licked it’s chops.
Correct: The wild dog licked its chops.
Incorrect: My cousin has two nephews’s.
Correct: My cousin has two nephews.
Incorrect: Shellys shells shiny scale’s shimmered in the sunlight.
Correct: Shelly’s shell’s shiny scales shimmered in the sunlight.
Explanation: Apostrophes show possession or help form a contraction. They are not used to make a word plural.
Paul Bows, Framingham State U, Class of 2020
Joey Lombardo, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Issac Nascimento, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Meme Generator. imgflip.com/memegenerator.
“When to Use an Apostrophe, Punctuation Rules & Examples, Ginger.” Ginger Pages, www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/apostrophes/.