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Apostrophes

Description

A quick guide to the correct use of apostrophes in British English with practice focused around common errors.

Objectives

The user will gain a better idea of how to use apostrophes and will make fewer mistakes in their written output.

Section: How to use this course / How to use this course / How to use this course

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Section: Is it important? / Is it important? / Kingsley Amis

Are apostrophes important?

Punctuation is a hot topic at the moment and no element gets as much attention as the misused apostrophe. Apostrophes can also radically affect meaning. Kingsley Amis, on being challenged to produce a sentence whose meaning depended on an apostrophe, came up with: "Those things over there are my husbands."

Writer Kingsley Amis was hot on apostrophes.

Section: Is it important? / Is it important? / Thumbs up

Are apostrophes important?

If you are under 40, it's quite likely that nobody has ever taught you how to use apostrophes correctly. There is also a good deal of disagreement about their correct use, and people tend to be very opinionated on the topic, so we need to get things right.

This module looks at when to use apostrophes and, perhaps more importantly, when not to use them!

There are three main sections: contractions, genitives and irregular plurals, followed by a brief look at typical mistakes.

Section: Is it important? / Missing letters / Missing letters - contractions diagnosis

Missing letters - contractions diagnosis

Complete the text by dragging and dropping the words.

Many people find it difficult to tell the difference between, for example, it's and its, their and they're etc. Put simply, the apostrophe indicates missing letters. So it's means 1. _______________, whereas 2. _______________ means belonging to it and is a possessive adjective just like his or her. Similarly, they're means 3. _______________ and 4. _______________ means it belongs to them. If you have problems with this, see the section on contractions.
1. it is
2. its
3. they are
4. their

Section: Is it important? / Adam / Adam's Apple

Adam

Drag and drop the correct title to the picture.

This is Adam. He's working on his computer, an Apple Macintosh. It is ...
 

Adams Apple

Wrong. We need an apostrophe. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Adam's Apple

Correct. This is how we indicate possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Adams' Apple

Wrong. This would mean that there is more than one Adam. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Adams's Apple

Wrong. His name is Adam, not Adams. See the section on "possessive forms".

Section: Is it important? / Adam / Tony Adams

Tony Adams

Drag and drop the correct title to the picture.

The man on the left is Tony Adams, with a friend. The other man is ...
 

Tony Adams friend

Wrong. We need an apostrophe to indicate possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Tony Adam's friend

Wrong. His name is Adams, not Adam. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Tony Adams' friend

Many people believe this is correct, and it may be acceptable if it is pronounced with only one z sound. Technically s' is a plural possessive, however. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

Tony Adams's friend

Correct. This is how we form possessives with singular nouns ending in -s, even if it does look strange! See the section on "possessive forms".

Section: Is it important? / Adam / Mr. and Mrs. Adam

Mr. and Mrs. Adam

Drag and drop the correct ending to the picture.

This is Sam Adam and her family. Their dog would be ...
 

the Adam dog.

Wrong. We need an apostrophe to indicate possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Adams dog.

Wrong. We need an apostrophe to indicate possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Adam's dog.

This would be correct for only one Adam but the dog belongs to all of them. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Adams' dog.

Correct. This is how apostrophes show plural possession and the dog belongs to all of them. See the section on "possessive forms".

Section: Is it important? / Adam / The Addams family

The Addams family

Drag and drop the correct ending to the picture.

This is the Addams family. Their car would be ...
 

the Addams car.

Wrong. We need an apostrophe to indicate possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Addam's car.

Wrong. Their name ends in an "s". See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Addams' car.

Wrong. There are many of them and the plural of Addams is Addamses. See the section on "possessive forms".

 

the Addamses' car.

Correct.There are many Addamses and this is how we indicate plural possession. See the section on "possessive forms".

Section: Is it important? / Ands, ifs or buts / No and's, if's or but's!

No "and's, if's or but's"!

We may have a problem when we need to form a plural of a word which is not normally used as a plural.

We used to use apostrophes to do this but most styleguides suggest that we shouldn't now, unless it is essential to avoid ambiguity. So it's better to write

"No ands, ifs or buts" than

"No and's, if's or but's".

You might also use italics or bold to distinguish the "s".

See the section on unusual plurals for further examples.

No butts either, Mr. Zidane!

Section: Contracted forms / The rule / Contractions

Using apostrophes for contractions - the rule

We use apostrophes to indicate that letters are missing from a word.

  • "I am" may be written as "I'm".
  • "You are" may be written as "you're".
  • "It is" or "it has" may be written as "it's".
  • "We have" may be written as "we've".
  • "They had" may be written as "they'd".
  • "I would" may be written as "I'd".
  • "They are" may be written as "they're".
  • "Who is" may be written as "who's".
  • "Could have" may be written as "could've".
    •
    Apostrophes are no use with this kind of contraction, Barry ...

    Section: Contracted forms / Missing letters / Auxiliary verbs

    Auxiliary verbs

    Drag and drop the contracted forms to complete the sentences.

    Auxiliary verbs (be, have, will etc.) are frequently contracted in informal English with an apostrophe where letters are missing.
    1. "I am" is often informally written as _____________________________
    2. "She is" or "She has" is often informally written as _____________________________
    3. "They are" is often informally written as _____________________________
    4. "You would" or "you had" is often informally written as _____________________________
    5. "We will" is often informally written as _____________________________

    1. I'm
    2. She's
    3. They're
    4. You'd
    5. We'll

    Section: Contracted forms / Missing letters / The word "not"

    Negatives

    Fill in the gap to complete one of his famous lyrics.

    The word "not" is often contracted in spoken and written English. If you feel depressed at the beginning of the week you might say, "I do not like Mondays." Bob sang "I [ don't / don't ] like Mondays."

    Section: Contracted forms / Missing letters / Sounds missing in speech

    Apostrophes may indicate sounds missing in speech.

    I ain't lettin' go 'til you're effin' braahn bread!

    Section: Contracted forms / Exceptions / Short forms as new words

    Exceptions - words with letters missing but no apostrophe

    Some words are abbreviated from longer words but have become so commonplace that we no longer use apostrophes.
    • The word "phone" comes from "telephone" ...
    • ... we used to write 'phone ...
    • ... now there's no need to use an apostrophe ...
    • ... we just write phone.
    • Similar words are "the net" for internet, "photo" for photograph, "bus" for omnibus and "flu" for influenza.

    Section: Possessive forms / The rule / Possessive forms

    Possessive forms - the rule

    We use apostrophes to indicate that one noun "possesses" another. We simply add 's to singular nouns and ' to plural nouns. For example:

    John's car

    Chris's car

    The Simpsons' car

    This can also work with more than one word:

    Paul and Jane's house

    The First Lord of the Treasury's role

    So if there were one boy, we would write "The boy's dog".

    If there were more than one, we would write "The boys' dog".

    Some old names (often Greek or Biblical in origin) which end in "s" are exceptions. More on these later.

    Matt Groening, the Simpsons' creator

    Section: Possessive forms / Exceptions / Irregular plurals

    Exceptions - irregular plurals

    Irregular plurals (those not ending with -s) form the possessive with 's, just like singular nouns. So if we have one child, we might talk about the child's age; if we have several we would talk about the children's ages.

    In this picture it appears that all children get Easter eggs, but only one teenager. Perhaps that's why the rest are so grumpy! (Sue Palmer)

    Section: Possessive forms / Thomas's/Thomas'? / Thomas's or Thomas'?

    Should we write Thomas's or Thomas' ?

    This is a difficult question, as many people have been taught that words ending in -s are followed by only an apostrophe, regardless of whether they are singular or plural. Indeed, I hear you say, there's a hospital/church/street just up the road called St. Thomas' ...

    However, grammarians (such as Hart, Fowler, Swan and Lynne Truss) and other authorities, such as the Guardian and Economist styleguides, agree that the -'s form should follow all singular nouns, regardless of whether they end in an -s or not.

    Exceptions have traditionally been made for ancient or biblical names, such as Jesus' or Socrates', as well as names where the extra 's is not pronounced, such as Keats' or Mephistopheles'.

    Spelling problems at the NHS

    Section: Possessive forms / Thomas's/Thomas'? / S's or s'

    Should we write s's or s'?

    So write -

    James's car

    Thomas's house

    Chris's girlfriend

    Jesus' disciples (or Jesus's)

    Keats' poetry

    Mephistopholes' plan

    It seems that the current spelling of St. Thomas' Hospital is a legacy of changes made in the twentieth century. In Victorian times, it was known as St. Thomas's hospital.
    A plaque in the hospital with the Victorian spelling
    A residential building on the site of the hospital

    Section: Unusual plurals / Apostrophes with unusual plurals / Unusual plurals

    Unusual plurals

    This is only typical if single lower case letters are used. When capitals are used (and many style guides prefer this) we no longer use an apostrophe.

    So we normally talk about CDs, TVs and MPs.

    However, using capitals for "Cross the Ts and dot the Is" would be very confusing as it looks like the word "is" and you don't need to dot a capital I!

    We no longer use apostrophes for whole words - use bold or italics if necessary.

  • What are the dos and don'ts?
  • There are too many ands, ifs and buts.

    • We also use apostrophes to construct plurals of words which are not normally plural, especially if it would be confusing if we didn't use an apostrophe. Examples include

  • mind your p's and q's
  • cross the t's and dot the i's
  • how many f's are there in Ffoulkes?

    • Here's where it gets a little confusing ...

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Top tips

    Apostrophe anger

    People get very upset about misused apostrophes, so remember these tips:
    • Use apostrophes when letters are missing. E.g. "must not" becomes "mustn't" etc.
    • Use apostrophes to indicate possession. "Paul's car", "cats' eyes" etc.
    • Use apostrophes with certain unusual plurals to avoid confusion. Cross the t's and dot the i's.
    • Don't use apostrophes with typical plurals!

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Putting them in words where they don't belong

    But which came first?

    The so-called "greengrocer's apostrophe" really annoys people who care about grammar.

    This is an apostrophe placed in a regular plural, where no apostrophe belongs!

    For example, a greengrocer might sell apples, oranges and pears, not apple's, orange's and pear's.

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Misplaced apostrophes

    Misplaced apostrophes

    How many misplaced apostrophes can you find in this picture? Remember, plurals do not need apostrophes!
    Check out these links for more apostrophe advice and examples of erroneous usage.

    Wikipedia on apostrophes

    Jonathan Rawle on apostrophes

    The Apostrophe Protection Society

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Omitting the apostrophe

    Omitting the apostrophe

    Just as bad as putting apostrophes in where they don't belong is leaving them out when they should be used.

    This bar might be a Drinker's Club or a Drinkers' Club, but it shouldn't be a Drinkers Club.

    It seems we are not immune from making this mistake at the BBC.

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Correct/incorrect

    Where does the apostrophe go?

    Drag and drop the words into each box.

    CORRECT

    don't

    mustn't

    a dog's dinner

    children's toys

    a lasagne and two fisherman's pies

    Granny Smith's apples

    Paul's car

    INCORRECT

    do'nt

    must'nt

    a dogs' dinner

    childrens' toys

    a lasagne and two fishermans pies'

    Granny Smiths apple's

    Pauls' car

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Place names

    Some place names are unpredictable!

    Place the correct title next to each picture.

    Home of Newcastle United FC

    St. James' Park

    A park in central London

    St. James's Park

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / More place names

    Place names can be difficult to predict.

    Drag and drop the correct title on each picture (right photo BCFC).

    A famous golf course in Scotland

    St. Andrews

    Home of Birmingham City FC

    St. Andrew's

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Proper nouns with apostrophes

    Some place names have kept their apostrophe ...

    Drag and drop the names in the appropriate box.

    CORRECT

    Lord's cricket ground

    Sainsbury's supermarket

    Earl's Court tube station

    Lloyd's of London (insurance)

    Queen's College, Oxford

    Queens' College, Cambridge

    Regent's Park

    INCORRECT

    Lords cricket ground

    Sainsburys supermarket

    Earls Court tube station

    Lloyds of London (insurance)

    Queens College, Oxford

    Queens College, Cambridge

    Regents Park

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Proper nouns without apostrophes

    ... while others have lost their apostrophes.

    Drag and drop the names in the appropriate box.

    CORRECT

    Currys

    Debenhams

    Barclays

    Harrods

    Dixons

    Halfords

    Hamleys

    INCORRECT

    Curry's

    Debenham's

    Barclay's

    Harrod's

    Dixon's

    Halford's

    Hamley's

    Section: Common mistakes / Common mistakes / Proper nouns exercise

    How much do you remember?

    Drag and drop the words in the correct box.

    CORRECT

    Boots (High street chemist)

    Lord's cricket ground

    Lloyds Bank

    Lloyd's of London (insurance)

    Currys (electrical goods)

    Harrods (of Knightsbridge)

    Halfords

    INCORRECT

    Boot's (High street chemist)

    Lords cricket ground

    Lloyd's bank

    Lloyds of London (insurance)

    Curry's (electrical goods)

    Harrod's (of Knightsbridge)

    Halford's

    Section: Further reading / Further reading / Further reading

    Further reading

    BBC Style Guides (all available online on Gateway):

    The BBC News Styleguide

    The News Interactive Style Guide (MPA)

    The BBC Monitoring Style Guide (Edgar)

    BBC Editorial Style Guidelines (MC&A;)

    Other Style Guides:

    The Economist Style Guide (Profile Books Ltd.)

    The Guardian Style Guide (online)

    The Times Style Guide (online)

    Other sources:

    Fowler's Modern English Usage and Hart's Rules (Oxford)

    The Cambridge Guide to English Usage (CUP)

    Penguin Guide to Punctuation

    Usage and Abusage (Penguin)

    Practical English Usage (Michael Swan)

    English for Journalists (Wynford Hicks)

    Eats, Shoots and Leaves (Lynne Truss)

    Help!
    If you'd like to read more on matters grammatical, here's a list of the sources used in the preparation of these modules:

    Section: Further reading / Further reading / The end

    The end

    That's the end of the module!

    If you'd like to find out more about grammar, try the other modules in this series or follow these links:

    The King's English, H. W. Fowler

    World Wide Words

    A Spot for Copy Editors, Bill Walsh

    Have you spotted a mistake in this module?

    Do you disagree with any of the advice given here?

    Contact the author at wselt@bbc.co.uk

    Your feedback will be much appreciated. Hopefully.

    Yes, she's singing.