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Apostrophes: a gentle introduction
Apostrophes are a common source of
confusion for many writers. Let's start with a very simple explanation
of what a noun is. A NOUN is a word that stands for a person or thing. Examples include "dog", "Tim", "love", "house" and "Ireland". SINGULAR NOUNS stand for a single person or thing; for example, "chair". PLURAL NOUNS stand for several people or things; for example, "chairs". Part 1. Using apostrophes to indicate possession The most common use of an apostrophe is to indicate possession by a person or thing of some other person or thing. For example: "John's book" or "Europe's history". Using an apostrophe to indicate possession is really quite straight forward, yet it's a frequent source of confusion. There are two separate cases to consider: singular nouns and plural nouns. Singular nouns When a noun is singular (i.e. it stands for a single person or thing) we show possession by adding apostrophe–s. For example:
Summary: Singular nouns are made possessive by adding apostrophe–s. Plural nouns When a noun is plural (i.e. it stands for a several people or things) we show possession by adding s–apostrophe. For example:
Summary: Plural nouns are made possessive by adding s–apostrophe. An exception As with many rules, there is an exception. This one concerns nouns that form their plural without adding an s. For example: woman/women, person/people, sheep/sheep and child/children. Words like this take apostrophe–s in both their forms. For example:
Summary: Nouns that become plural without using an "s" (e.g. woman/women) are made possessive by adding apostrophe–s to both forms. Part 2. Using apostrophes to indicate missing letters Another use of the apostrophe is to indicate missing letters in contractions such as "isn't", "doesn't" and "can't". For example: --------------------------- You'll notice that the apostrophe appears in place of the omitted letter or letters. For example, in contracting "is not" to "isn't" the apostrophe replaces the missing "o". But consider contracting "shall not" to "shan't". If we put an apostrophe in place of the missing letters, shouldn't it be written "sha'n't"? After all, we've left out both "l"s and an "o". It's a valid point. Indeed, until a few generations ago, "sha'n't" was a commonly encountered spelling. Today, though, it is rarely if ever seen. That's all there is to it. Practise those simple rules, and you'll be the local expert on apostrophes. You'll find many more helpful tips like these in Tim North's much applauded range of e-books. More information is available on his web site, and all books come with a money-back guarantee. http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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