Apostrophes

1. Apostrophes

2. Apostrophes • An apostrophe is used either to indicate possession or to mark missing letters in a word. • When it is used to indicate possession, it appears either right before or right after the s at the end of the possessive noun.

3. Apostrophes and Possession • Peter’s new car is extremely expensive • Women’s issues will be important in the next election • The girls’ room will be renovated this summer. • The apostrophe tells us that the car belongs to Peter. • If the noun in possession is singular – as in the case of Peter – the apostrophe falls before the “s.”

4. Apostrophes and Possession • If the noun in possession is singular and ends in “s” – such as “boss” – add an apostrophe and “s” if the possessive form would be pronounced as would the plural form (in this case, “boss’s” is pronounced “bosses”). • The ACT does not test the few exceptions to this rule.

5. Apostrophes and Possession • If it is plural and it doesn’t end in “s” – as in the case of women – the apostrophe falls before the “s.” • If it is plural and it ends in “s” – as in the case of girls – the apostrophe falls after the “s.”

6. Apostrophes and Possession • The ACT people seem very interested in whether you know when an apostrophe is unnecessary; some apostrophe questions require you to drop an apostrophe. • Remember, for the apostrophe to be correct when forming a possessive, the noun containing it must be followed by another noun or an adjective and a noun. • Peter’s new car • Women’s issues • Girls’ room

7. Works Cited Martz, Geoff, Kim Magloire, and Theodore Silver. Cracking the ACT. 2007 ed. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.