Apostrophe TopTips
The apostrophe looks like a comma, but it goes higher on the line. The top of it lines
up with the top of your tall letters like t, h, l, b and d.
The apostrophe is used in two different ways
1. It can show where there is a contraction; when some letters are missing in a
word because it is said in a shortened form e.g. can’t, doesn’t etc.
2. It can show possession (who something belongs to), e.g. Annie’s cat.
For your homework this week I would like you to practise using the possessive
apostrophe. Don’t worry if you do not understand at first as it is quite tricky and the
more you practise the more you will understand. Here are some helpful reminders of
what we have been doing in lessons this week.
The Possessive Apostrophe (Singular)
This is used to show who something belongs to and you normally add ’s to the
owner’s name. Here are some examples:
Mrs Gray-Krall’s car (the car belonging to Mrs Gray-Krall)
Mrs Giles’s/ Mrs Giles’ bike (the bike belonging to Mrs Giles)
Mrs Mason’s cold (the cold belonging to Mrs Mason)
The ’s is correct for all nouns (naming words) when they are singular. Singular means
there is only one. Look at the examples above and notice that even singular nouns
which end in s can add ’s e.g. Mrs Giles’s
The Possessive Apostrophe (Plural)
This is where it gets a little trickier!
If there is more than one noun e.g. cars, lollipops, football cards etc, they usually add
an extra s on the end. These are called plurals (more than one).
Have a look at these examples
Singular
car
table
book
box
church
bush
baby
lady
Plural
cars
tables
books
boxes
churches
bushes
babies
ladies
To show that plural nouns have possession, you add only an apostrophe. Here are
some examples:
The footballers’ kits (the kits belonging to the footballers)
The ladies’ dance lesson (the dance lesson belonging to the ladies)
The teachers’ breaktime ( the breaktime belonging to the teachers)
The pupils’ homework (the homework belonging to the pupils)
The Possessive Apostrophe (Exceptions)
You know that there are always exceptions to rules in the English language!
A few nouns do not add an extra s when they are plural, but change in another way.
Here are some examples:
Singular
child
man
sheep
goose
Plural
children
men
sheep
geese
To show possession for these, add ’s. Here are some examples:
The children’s nativity play (the play belonging to the children)
The sheep’s food (the food belonging to the sheep)
To help you understand the possessive apostrophe have a look at examples around
you e.g. in books, signposts etc. You will be amazed at how many times they are used
incorrectly. Talk about how they are used to somebody and try to decide whether or
not they are right!
Good luck!
Be careful not to get apostrophitis- where you start using apostrophes everywhere!