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apostropheApostrophes

Marking contractions and possessive nouns

 

 

Auxiliary Verb Contractions

 

Word that are very commonly used tend to be shortened by speakers, especially in speech.  In business and academic English, it is best not to use shortened forms (contractions) unless quoting speech.

Words that are shortened in speech, most commonly lose vowel sounds. An apostrophe marks the missing sound. Only negative contractions occur at the end of a clause.


 

Be / Do
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

1A. BE—PRONOUNS

I am  ready!
We are  ready!
He is  ready!
She is  ready!
They are  ready!
You are  ready!
It is  ready!
There are two.

 

 

I'm / I am not  ready!
We're / We aren't  ready!
He's / He isn't  ready!
She's / She isn't  ready!
They're / They aren't  ready!
You're / You aren't ready!
It's / It isn't  ready!
There're / There aren't two. 

 

1B. BE—NOUNS

Jack is here.
The car is ready.

 

 

Jack's / Jack isn't here.
The car's / The car isn't ready

 
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

2A. DO+NEGATIVE—PRONOUNS

I do not  know
We do not  know.
He does not  know.
She does not  know.
They do not  know.
You do not  know.
It does not  know.
There does not appear to be two.

 

 

I don't  know.
We don't  know.
He doesn't  know.
She doesn't  know.
They don't  know.
You don't  know.
It doesn't  know.
There doesn't appear to be two.

 

2B. DO+NEGATIVE—NOUNS

Jack does not  know.
The car does not have power.

 

 

Jack doesn't  know.
The car doesn't have power.

 

 

 

Have / Had
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

3A. HAVE—PRONOUNS

I have  finished.
We have  finished.
He has  finished.
She has  finished.
They have  finished.
You have  finished.
It has  finished.
There have been two.

 

I have / haven't  finished.
We have / haven't  finished.
He has / hasn't  finished.
She has / hasn't  finished.
They have / haven't  finished.
You have / haven't  finished.
It has / haven't  finished.
There have been two.

 

3B. HAVE—NOUNS

Jane has been here.
The car has been washed.

 

 

Jane's been here.
The car's left.

 

COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

4A. HAD—PRONOUNS

I had  finished.
We had  finished.
He had  finished.
She had  finished.
They had  finished.
You had  finished.
It had  finished.
There had better be more.

 

 

I'd / I hadn't  finished.
We'd / We hadn't  finished.
He'd / He hadn't  finished.
She'd/ She hadn't  finished.
They'd / They hadn't  finished.
You'd / You hadn't finished.
It'd / It hadn't finished.
There'd  better be more. 

 

4B. HAD—NOUNS

Jack had finished.
The car had stopped.

 

 

Jack'd/ Jack hadn't finished.
The car'd stopped. unusual

 

 

 

 

Will / Would
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

5A. WILL—PRONOUNS

I will  attend.
We will  attend.
He will  attend.
She will  attend.
They will  attend.
You will  attend.
It will  attend.
There will be two.

 

I'll / I won't  attend.
We will / We won't  attend.
He will / He won't  attend.
She will / She won't  attend.
They will / They won't  attend.
You will / You won't  attend.
It will / It won't  attend.
There will / There won't been two.

 

5B. WILL—NOUNS

Jane will attend.
The car will be ready.

 

 

Jane'll go.
The car'll be ready. unusual

 

COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

6A. WOULD—PRONOUNS

I would  like more.
We would  like more.
He would  like more.
She would  like more.
They would  like more.
You would  like more.
It would  like more.
There would be more.

 

 

I'd / I woudn't  like more.
We'd / We woudn't  like more.
He'd / He woudn't  like more.
She'd/ She woudn't  like more.
They'd / They woudn't  like more.
You'd / You woudn't like more.
It'd / It woudn't like more.
There'd / woudn't be more. 

 

6B. WOUD—NOUNS

Jack had like more.
The car had better be ready.

 

 

Jack'd/ Jack hadn't like more.
The car'd better be ready. unusual

 

 

 

 

Modals / Questions
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

7A. MODALS

We cannot  go.
We will not  go.
We may not  go.
We shall not  go.
We might not  go.
We would not  go.
We should not  go.
We must not  go.

 

We can't  go.
We won't  go.
We mayn't go. rarely ever used
We shan't go. rare
We mightn't  go. rare
We wouldn't  go.
We shouldn't  go.
We mustn't  go.

 
COMPLETE WORD CONTRACTION

8A. QUESTIONS

Who is  coming?
Where is  he going?
How is  she feeling?
What is  it called?
When is  it starting?
Why is  it running?
Whose is it?

 

 

Who's  coming?
Where's  he going?
How's  she feeling?
What's  it called?
When's  it starting?
Why's  it running?
Whose is it?
But not normally with 're (are).   

 

 

 

 

Word Contractions
FULL FORM CONTRACTION

In business and academic English, words are uncommonly written using contractions unless one is quoting speech.

In contractions, an apostrophe marks an omitted letter.  Contractions are found in informal use, especially in speech.

Good morning, Madam.   Title of respect, esp. for royalty.

Good morning, Ma'am. 

Let us go.   rarely used 

Let's go.   suggestion  /  Let's not.  (also Let's don't.)

We are going to leave pretty soon.

We're goin' to leave pretty soon. (sometimes written as we're gonna.)

We are not going anywhere.

We ain't goin' anywhere.  informal and colloquial

Let us rock and roll.   (Shall we)

Let's rock 'n' roll.

We are singing in the rain.

We're singin' in the rain.  (song)

There are a few (things to) do and not do.

There are a few dos and don'ts.   doesn't

Wait until I get there.

Wait 'til I get there.

It is time to leave.

'tis time to leave.
 

 

 

 

 

Me / WeApostrophes

Possessives

 

 

Possessives for common nouns
SINGULAR PLURAL

apostrophe SFor most singular nouns, we add an apostrophe and the letter s.  See sources below regarding nouns ending is -s.

S apostropheFor most plural words ending in -s,  the apostrophe is placed after the letter s.

2a. SINGULAR NOUNS

My friend's computer
My supervisor's computer
The car's computer
One's computer   (impersonal pronoun)
     

2b. PLURAL NOUNS

My parents' computer
My aunts' computer
My friends' computer
My puppies' paws
 

2c.  SINGULAR COMMON NOUNS FOLLOWED BY -S

The class's soccer team. (MLA 3.2.e7)  (CMOS 7.18)
The class's teamnot followed by a word starting with s (AP 323)
BUT:  The class' soccer team  followed by a word starting with s (AP 323)

My boss's office
The gas's odor
 

 

2d. EXCEPTIONS:  NOUNS PLURAL IN FORM BUT SINGULAR IN MEANING

Economics' / mathematics' / linguistics' contribution
The series'  first game

for righteousness' / goodness'  / Jesus' sake

 

2e.  EXCEPTION: NOUNS SINGULAR IN FORM BUT PLURAL IN MEANING

The children's / men's / women's soccer team irregular plural forms 
The people's vote
The sheep's / deer's / moose's / oxen's eyes
The alumni's contributions

 

 

 

Possessives for proper nouns
SINGULAR PLURAL

apostrophe SFor most singular nouns, we add an apostrophe and the letter s.  See sources below regarding nouns ending is -s.

S apostropheFor most plural words ending in -s,  the apostrophe is placed after the letter s.

3a. SINGULAR PROPER NOUNS

Mary's coat 
Brad's movie
Julie's car 
Helen's answer
Paul Revere's ride 
Karl Marx's theory  
Einstein's archives
Juan Valdez's donkey
 

3a. A BUSINESS NAME AFTER A PERSON

a Bloomingdale's sale
a Macy's sale 
a McDonald's hamburger 
a Goody's salad 
a Wendy's milkshake 

 

3b.  PLURAL PROPER NOUNS  (CMOS 7.18)   (MLA 3.2.7 f)

The Lincolns' bedroom
The Wagners' story
The Williamses' book
The Martinezes' yard
The Valdezes' legacy
The Browns' house
The Dickenses' boat

3c.  SINGULAR PROPER NOUNS -S, -X, -Z 

Venus's glow 
Strauss's opera
Charles's computer 
James's computer
Dickens's novels 
Malraux's masterpiece
Kansas's legislature
Jesus's apostles

(MLA 3.2.7.e)  (CMOS 7.18)
 

3d.   SINGULAR PROPER NOUNS -S

Venus' shell 
Strauss' waltz
Charles' picture 
James' portrait
Dickens' story 
Malraux' masterpiece
Kansas' legislature
Jesus' apostles

(AP 323)
 

 

3e.EXCEPTIONS:  SINGULAR IN MEANING BUT PLURAL IN FORM

S apostropheThe United States' policy…    (CMOS 7.19)
The Boy Scouts' oath
The National Academy of Sciences' new building
The Red Fox Hills' neighborhood association

Socrates' method  (ancient name)
Euripides'  tragedies  (ancient name) 
Xerxes' armies   (ancient name)
Moses' law  (ancient name)
Decartes' writings  (silent s)
Camus' philosophy  (silent s)
The marquis' title  (silent s)
 

 

 

 

 

Other Possessives
APOSTROPHE + S THE X OF THE…

For nouns for measurement and time, an apostrophe + s is added.

For inanimate things, we tend to use  the X of the X (the back of the box) rather than 's.

4a. TIME

A day's journey is tiring on foot.
A twenty minutes's delay is expected.
Today's news is encouraging.
Tomorrow's weather will be warmer.
Sunday's newspaper is huge.
 

4b. LOCATION

The name of the street is Main Street. (not usually the street's name)
The back of the room is empty. (not the room's back)
The roof of the house is tile. (not the house's roof)
The top of the page is marked. (not the page's top)

 

4c. MEASUREMENT  (CMOS 7.26)

A pound's worth of peanuts costs a dollar.
Three dollar's worth of gas buys very little.
A penny's worth of candy buys nothing nowadays.

4d. COUNTRIES

The Republic of ...
The United States of…
The Kingdom of…

4e. COMPOUNDS  (MLA 3.2.7) (CMOS 7.24-6)

Huddleston and Pullum's book is on English grammar.  (same book)
Jack and Jill's house is nearby. (or Jack's and Jill's for separate houses.)
Lewis and Clark's expedition

My daughter-in-law's profession (CMOS 7.25)
An assistant professor's research

 

4f. INANIMATE

The eye of the storm…
The foot of the bed…
The wheels of the bus…

4g. NUMBERS AND LETTERS (CMOS 7.18)

I know that 1968's music was great.  (a specific year) 
The word accommodation has two c's and two m's. (CMOS 7.63) (MLA 3.2.7) (AP 325)
The word accommodation has two cs and two ms. letter in italics (APA 4.29)
FDR's policies…
JFK's assassination…
Yahoo!'s chief executive officer 
 

 

 

 

Also see Possessive Nouns  / The-Countries  / The-Landmarks

 

 

Sources for Rules

CMOS, MLA  & APA    

The traditional rule, as found in the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Hand book and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is a singular noun, common and proper, ending in s forms the possessive by adding 's: house/house's, boss/boss's, Davis/Davis's, Charles/Charles's. This adds an additional syllable to the original word: /ɪs/ or /ɪz/, depending upon the previous consonant. Exceptions to this rule are ancient names: Jesus', Moses', Socrates', Euripides'.

Plural nouns ending in s form the possessive by adding an apostrophe: parents' love, friends' support, the Williamses' house  Joneses' car. Exceptions to the rule are plural nouns with irregular forms: children's toys, women's fashions.

AP Stylebook  

A more modern approach can be found in the AP Stylebook, which specifies the guidelines for news publications:

Singular common nouns ending in s: add 's unless the next word begins with s: the hostess's invitation, the hostess' seat; the witness's answer; the witness' story.

Singular proper nouns ending in s: add an apostrophe: Williams' plays, Dickens' novels, Hercules' labors, Jesus' life (but not St. James's Palace).

Plural nouns ending in s add only an apostrophe: the girls' toys, the horses' tail, the states' rights, the boss' office.


 

 

Bibliography
  1. AP Stylebook. The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. 42nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2007. (p. 192-194, 323)  Print.
  2. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. NewYork: Modern Language Association of America. 2009.. (3.2.7) Print
  3. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, D.C:  American Psychological Association, 2010. (4.12) Print
  4. University of Chicago Press. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. (7.18-26) Print.

 

 

Apostrophes

Possessive Pronouns

 

 

Possessive pronouns do not include apostrophes!
POSSESSIVE DETERMINERS POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

The following words are possessive determiners.  We cannot use an article with any of them.

The following words are possessive pronouns. Each word takes the place of the possessive determiner + the noun.

SINGULAR

My / Your/ Her/ His
Its

 

dog behaves well.
collar is too tight.

SINGULAR

Mine/ Yours/ Hers/ His
Its

 

behaves well.  (dog) 
is too tight.  (collar)

Plural

Our/ You/ Their dog
   

 

behaves well.

PLURAL

Ours/ Your/ Theirs
   

 

behaves well.

 

 

Common Mistakes
ERROR FIX

There's a lot of people here today.   subject-verb agreement
Theirs a lot of people here today.    confuses possessive with contraction

 

There are / There're a lot of people here today.  There're is very informal.

The cat is content.  Its just had it's dinner. 

confuses possessive with contraction

 

It's just had its dinner.  (It has)

Were gonna leave.

confuses possessive with verb

 

We're goin' to leave.

Whose the parent who's child is making so much noise?

  confuses possessive with contraction

 

Who is the parent whose child is making so much noise?
Change who's to who is if the word is stressed (intonation) in the sentence.
 

The late 1960's were exciting years in San Francisco.  confuses plural with possessive

My toddler is in his terrible two's .  (a difficult age or stage)

The late 1960s were exciting years in San Francisco. 
My toddler is in the terrible twos.

Don't use apostrophes for plural numbers and initials: 1990s, PhDs, TVs . (MLA 3.2.7 g)
 

The United State's policy is…  incorrect possessive form

 

The United States' policy is… Singular in agreement, but uses the plural possessive form

 

 

 

 

 

Betty CrockersPractice 1

Betty Crocker

 

 

Add apostrophes where needed.
  1. Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.

 

# YOUR RESPONSE CHECK YOUR ANSWER
1.
2. ." says my mother.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.  the person  
8. cake, brownie and biscuit mixes
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
   

 

 

 

 

George BurnsPractice 2

George and Gracie

 

 

 

Edit the sentence for apostrophes.
  1. Write your corrections for the sentence in the text area.
  2. Then compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.

 

# YOUR RESPONSE CHECK YOUR ANSWER
16.
17.
18.
19.   
20.   
21.   
22.