Apostrophes

1. Apostrophes

2. Learning to use this punctuation mark can be tough…but you’re not alone!

3. Apostrophe Rules: Possession/Ownership • An apostrophe shows ownership. It shows us that something belongs to someone or something else. • We place the apostrophe between the ‘owner’ and the ‘s’. E.g: • Mrs Whelan’s English class. • Andrew’siPad. • The dog’sbones.

4. Apostrophe Rules: Omission • An apostrophe is used when a letter or word is missing (omitted). E.G • I don’t want to go to school. (I do not want to go to school.) • I won’t tell anyone. (I will not tell anyone)

5. Be careful of plurals! • ‘Plural’ means there is more than one thing. We usually show this by adding an ‘s’ to the end of the word. E.g: shop/shops • So, if we are using apostrophes for possession/ownership, then the apostrophe must go after the plural ‘s’. This shows the reader that more than one person/thing has ownership. • E.g: • The dog’s bones (one dog) • The dogs’ bones (more than one dog)

6. Be careful with plurals! • Sometimes people thing that just because a word ends in ‘s’ that it needs an apostrophe. • E.g: I love barbecue’s. I like playing with my game’s. In these examples, the ‘s’ at the end is showing plurality (that there is more than one) but this does not mean you need to put an apostrophe in it!

7. Try to remember these common examples • Don’t = do not • Won’t = will not • It’s = it is • Can’t = can not • Isn’t = is not • I’m = I am • She’s = she is • I’d = I had

8. Got it? • Look at these sentences. Where would you add apostrophes and why? • My friends so funny. • Sarahs shoes are red. • I dont understand quadratic equations. • My brothers addicted to Call of Duty.

9. Answers • My friend’sso funny. • Sarah’sshoes are red. • I don’t understand quadratic equations. • My brother’s addicted to Call of Duty.