What is the possessive apostrophe?

 

The possessive apostrophe is a punctuation mark (‘) used to show possession: to show that something belongs to someone or something.

Apostrophes were first used to mark possession in the late 16th century, but without clear guidelines they were used inconsistently for centuries.

We have clear rules for their use today, but many people, including native-English speakers, still feel unsure about how to use the possessive apostrophe correctly.

I think it’s probably the punctuation mark that causes the most confusion!

 

The headline in the image below is from a popular UK newspaper: can you spot their mistake? 

 

 

 

Here are some of the main guidelines for using apostrophes to show possession…

 

Singular nouns

 

Add an apostrophe and an ‘s’ to show singular possession (one owner).

Examples:

1. My father’s car (the car belonging to my father)
2. My sister’s new shoes (the shoes belonging to my sister)
3. The orange boat is my mother’s (the orange boat belongs to my mother)
4. The cat’s eyes are blue.
5. The government’s new policies are very unpopular.
6. She inherited her grandmother’s house.

 

Plural nouns

 

For nouns where the plural is made by adding ‘s’,  the apostrophe goes after the ‘s’.

For example:

1. girl – girls

    The girls’ hockey kits were covered in mud.

2. cat – cats

    We keep the cats’ beds in the conservatory.

3. teacher – teachers

    The English teachers’ new classes start in September.

 

For common plural nouns that don’t end with ‘s’, add an apostrophe and an ‘s’ 

For example:

1. person – people

    Princess Diana was known as the people’s princess.

2. man – men

    He works in the men’s clothes department.

3. woman – women

    Have you read the latest edition of Women’s Health magazine?

4. child – children

    Children’s shoes are so expensive.

 

Possessive pronouns

 

We don’t use an apostrophe with the possessive pronouns hers, his, yours, ours, theirs, to show possession or belonging.

You’ll probably quite often see people writing her’s and your’s and their’s – but it’s incorrect, so please don’t do it 😉

 

Its, it’s or its’?!

 

Its is a pronoun meaning ‘belonging to it’. Its is possessive but does not have an apostrophe.

Examples:

1. Our local bookshop needs to reduce its prices to compete with Amazon.

2. Scotland is famous for its whisky.

3. My daughter’s dog left its muddy paw prints all over my jeans!

 

It’s is always the contraction of it is or it has – it has no other meaning.

And there is no such word as its’.

 

Confused? It’s not surprising if you are 🙂

So, should we stop using the possessive apostrophe?

Some people think that the possessive apostrophe should be abandoned because it causes so much confusion: others think that it’s essential for meaning.

What do you think?

Any questions?

This is just an introduction to using the possessive apostrophe and I know it can sometimes be difficult and confusing to know how to use it correctly. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments. I’m happy to help.