Unit 3: Writing and Sentence Skills

The Apostrophe

The apostrophe has two distinct functions. It is informally used with contractions to indicate that one or more letters have been eliminated, i.e., he’s ( he is ), they’re ( they are ), there’s ( there is ), let’s ( let us ), etc.

Example : The girl’s a member of the varsity basketball team. ( The girl is a member of the varsity basketball team. )

The apostrophe is also used to indicate the possessive form of a noun.

Example : The boy’s uniform was covered in mud. ( The uniform belonging to the boy was covered in mud. )

With plural nouns that end in s the apostrophe is placed on the end of the word to indicate possession.

Example : The girls’ team sang victory songs all the way home.

Careful : It’s is the contraction for it is. The possessive its does not have an apostrophe.

Example : It’s getting late. ( It is getting late. )

Example : The dog drank all the water in its bowl.