Apostrophes
&
Quotation Marks
The Brenham Writing Room
Created by D. Herring
Why Punctuate?
• Punctuation is used to clarify
meaning.
• It is important to know how to
properly use various punctuation
marks, such as commas, semicolons,
colons, apostrophes, quotation marks,
parenthesis, dashes, & hyphens.
Apostrophes
•
An apostrophe is primarily used to
1. Show ownership
•
•
Sally’s car
The dog’s bone
–
–
Don’t (contraction of do not)
Class of ’05 (20 in 2005 is left out)
2. Indicate that something has been
intentionally left out.
Apostrophes continued
• When using an apostrophe to show
ownership
– Add ‘s to a singular noun to show ownership
even if the noun already ends in s.
• Charles’s book
– If a noun is plural and ends in s, just add an
apostrophe.
• Students’ exam scores
– If the noun is plural but does not end in s,
add ‘s.
• Men’s lockers
Apostrophes continued
• In a contraction, put an apostrophe
where the letter or letters have been
left out.
– Please don’t be mad at me, but I can’t go
with you.
– She’ll go with you instead, and you’ll both
have lots of fun.
• See list on pg. 491 of common contractions
Apostrophes continued
• You may occasionally use apostrophes
with letters, numbers, and time.
– Use ‘s to make letters & numbers plural.
• She made all A’s and B’s.
• How many 0’s do you have in this class?
– Use ‘ or ‘s where time nouns are treated
as if they possess.
• I have four weeks’ vacation coming to me.
• This year’s graduating class is huge.
Important Reminders
• Do not use an apostrophe to form the
plural of a noun.
– Incorrect: How many dog’s do you have?
– Correct: My dog’s ears hang to the ground.
• Do not use an apostrophe with a
possessive pronoun.
–
–
–
–
I: The book is her’s.
C: The book is hers.
I: The baby tiger cuddled next to it’s mother.
C: The baby tiger cuddled next to its mother.
“Quotation Marks”
• Quotation marks always appear in
pairs!
• Two common uses of quotation marks:
– In quotations
– In titles
Quotation Marks continued
• A quotation is the report of a person’s
words.
– A direct quotation indicates exact words.
• Sally said, “Help me pick up these papers, please.”
– An indirect quotation indicates a
restatement of words.
• Sally asked me to please help her pick up her
papers.
• Use quotation marks only for a direct
quote, not an indirect quote.
Punctuation with Quotes
• When using punctuation with quotes,
remember to use the following rules:
– Place a comma after a phrase
introducing a quotation:
• The child screamed, “I don’t want a shot.”
– When a quote is interrupted, do the
following:
• “I didn’t pass,” explained the student,
“because I didn’t study.”
Punctuation with Quotes
• When a phrase comes after the
quote, end the quote with a comma:
– “I wish it were Friday,” she said.
• If a quotation ends with other
punctuation, put it before the final
quotation mark:
– “What are you serving for dinner?” he
asked.
Single Quotation Marks
• Use single quotation marks when one
quotation is inside another:
– The tutor told the professor, “Many of
your students have told me ‘ my teacher
grades too hard.’”
Titles
• Titles of magazine or newspaper
articles, book chapters, short
stories, essays, songs, and poems are
put in quotation marks.
• Other titles (e.g., books, magazines
or newspapers) are underlined or put
in italics.
• Do not put your own paragraph or
essay title in quotes!