{"id":325,"date":"2016-05-19T21:02:04","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T21:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level2-english\/?post_type=chapter&p=325"},"modified":"2016-11-08T00:32:07","modified_gmt":"2016-11-08T00:32:07","slug":"text-apostrophes","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-introtocollegecomp\/chapter\/text-apostrophes\/","title":{"raw":"Apostrophes","rendered":"Apostrophes"},"content":{"raw":"

Possession<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n\r\n\"anWith possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s<\/em>\u00a0to represent that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it.\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • a student\u2019s paper<\/li>\r\n \t
  • the county\u2019s borders<\/li>\r\n \t
  • a nation\u2019s decision<\/li>\r\n \t
  • one hour\u2019s passing<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Apostrophes with Words Ending in\u00a0s<\/em>\u00a0and with Plurals<\/h3>\r\nSingular words whether or not\u00a0they\u00a0end in s<\/em>, are made possessive by adding an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>. For plural words,\u00a0we typically indicate possession simply by adding the apostrophe without an additional s<\/em>. However, a plural that does not end in an\u00a0s<\/em> (e.g., bacteria<\/em>), we would add an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>.\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Illinois\u2019s law<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Mars\u2019s atmosphere<\/li>\r\n \t
    • interviewees\u2019 answers<\/li>\r\n \t
    • the bacteria's life cycle<\/li>\r\n \t
    • her\u00a0professors\u2019 office (an office shared by two of her professors; if it were just one professor we would write\u00a0her professor's office<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
      Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Practices vary from style to style, so be sure to check the rules in your course's discipline for this.<\/div>\r\n

      Contractions<\/h2>\r\n
      \r\n\r\nA contraction is a shortened\u00a0phrase. He\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0becomes\u00a0he'll<\/em>,\u00a0are not<\/em> becomes\u00a0aren't<\/em>, would have<\/em> becomes would've<\/em>, and\u00a0it is<\/em> becomes\u00a0it's<\/em>. In all of these cases, the apostrophe stands in for the missing letters.\r\n\r\nYou may find yourself\u00a0being steered away from using contractions in your papers. While you should write to your teacher's preference, keep in mind that\u00a0leaving out contractions can often make your words sound over formal and stilted. (And don't eliminate contractions in your papers just to up your word count!)\r\n
      Note:<\/strong> Double contractions, like wouldn't've<\/em> or I'd've<\/em> are considered non-standard and should be avoided in formal written language.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n

      Some Common\u00a0Errors<\/h3>\r\nNow that we've learned about both contraction and possession, let's take a look at some\u00a0of the most common (or at least most called out) errors people make.\r\n

      Your<\/em> versus You're<\/em><\/h4>\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • Your v. you're<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Its v. it's<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Their v. they're<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAll three of these pairs are the same kind of pair: a possessive pronoun and\u00a0a contracted version of a pronoun + to be<\/em> (you're<\/em> =\u00a0you are<\/em>;\u00a0it's<\/em> =\u00a0it is<\/em>;\u00a0they're<\/em> =\u00a0they are<\/em>). These are easy to mix up (especially its<\/em>\/it's<\/em>) because\u2014as we've learned\u2014an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em> indicates possession.\u00a0The best way to\u00a0use these correctly is to remember that possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe: if there's an apostrophe with a pronoun, it's\u00a0a contraction, not a possessive.\r\n

        Should've<\/em>\u00a0versus\u00a0Should of<\/em><\/h4>\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • Should of, would of, could of<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t
        • Should've, would've, could've<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThis mistake\u00a0is due to the pronunciation. Out loud both\u00a0of these phrases\u00a0sound exactly the same. However, remember that the original phrase is\u00a0should have<\/em>, as in \"I should have done that.\" The phrase should of<\/em> should never occur. Unfortunately, the only way to remember this is rote memorization (or perhaps a closer examination of the word\u00a0of<\/em>).\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

          Acronyms and Numbers<\/h2>\r\nIn technical writing, acronyms and numbers are frequently pluralized with the addition of an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>, but this is falling out of favor, and there is typically no need to put an apostrophe in front of the s<\/em>. Therefore, SSTs<\/em>\u00a0(sea surface temperatures) is more acceptable than SST\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0when your intention is simply to pluralize.\r\n\r\nIdeally, use the apostrophe before the s<\/em>\u00a0with an acronym or a number only to show possession (i.e., \u201can 1860\u2019s law\u201d; \u201cDEP\u2019s testing\u201d) or when confusion would otherwise result (\u201cmind your p<\/em>\u2019s and q<\/em>\u2019s\u201d).\r\n\r\nWhen talking about a specific decade the 1920s<\/em> should be shortened to\u00a0the\u00a0\u201920s<\/em>. Notice that the apostrophe curls away from the numbers, indicating that the missing characters originally appeared prior to the apostrophe.\r\n
          \r\n

          Practice<\/h3>\r\nRead the following passage. Identify any errors with apostrophes. Type\u00a0the corrected words in the text frame below:\r\n

          Thanks to\u00a0NASAs'<\/strong> team of sniffers, led by\u00a0George Aldrich, astronauts can breathe a little bit easier. Aldrich is the \u201cchief sniffer\u201d at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. His's<\/strong> job is to smell items before they can be flown in the space shuttle.<\/p>\r\n

          Aldrich explained that smells change in space and that once astronauts are up there, their<\/strong>\u00a0stuck with whatever smells are onboard with them. In space, astronauts aren\u2019t able to open the window for extra ventilation. He also said that its<\/strong> important not to introduce substances that will change the delicate balance of the climate of the International Space Station and the space shuttle.<\/p>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"61337\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"61337\"]Here is the passage with the errors in bold:\r\n

          Thanks to\u00a0NASAs'<\/strong> team of sniffers, led by\u00a0George Aldrich, astronauts can breathe a little bit easier. Aldrich is the \u201cchief sniffer\u201d at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. His's<\/strong> job is to smell items before they can be flown in the space shuttle.<\/p>\r\n

          Aldrich explained that smells change in space and that once astronauts are up there, their<\/strong>\u00a0stuck with whatever smells are onboard with them. In space, astronauts aren\u2019t able to open the window for extra ventilation. He also said that its<\/strong> important not to introduce substances that will change the delicate balance of the climate of the International Space Station and the space shuttle.<\/p>\r\nNASAs'<\/strong> should be NASA's<\/strong>.\u00a0His's<\/strong> doesn't need the apostrophe-s<\/em>. In fact, possessive pronouns don't require apostrophes at all.\u00a0His's<\/strong> should be\u00a0His<\/strong>.\u00a0Their<\/strong> is a possessive pronoun; the correct word is\u00a0they're<\/strong>, which is a contraction of the words\u00a0they are<\/em>.\u00a0Its<\/strong> is a possessive pronoun; the correct word is\u00a0it's<\/strong>, which is a contraction of the words\u00a0it is<\/em>.\r\n\r\nThe contraction\u00a0aren't<\/em> is used correctly in the passage.\r\n\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

          Possession<\/h2>\n
          \n

          \"anWith possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s<\/em>\u00a0to represent that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • a student\u2019s paper<\/li>\n
          • the county\u2019s borders<\/li>\n
          • a nation\u2019s decision<\/li>\n
          • one hour\u2019s passing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Apostrophes with Words Ending in\u00a0s<\/em>\u00a0and with Plurals<\/h3>\n

            Singular words whether or not\u00a0they\u00a0end in s<\/em>, are made possessive by adding an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>. For plural words,\u00a0we typically indicate possession simply by adding the apostrophe without an additional s<\/em>. However, a plural that does not end in an\u00a0s<\/em> (e.g., bacteria<\/em>), we would add an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>.<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Illinois\u2019s law<\/li>\n
            • Mars\u2019s atmosphere<\/li>\n
            • interviewees\u2019 answers<\/li>\n
            • the bacteria’s life cycle<\/li>\n
            • her\u00a0professors\u2019 office (an office shared by two of her professors; if it were just one professor we would write\u00a0her professor’s office<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Practices vary from style to style, so be sure to check the rules in your course’s discipline for this.<\/div>\n

              Contractions<\/h2>\n
              \n

              A contraction is a shortened\u00a0phrase. He\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0becomes\u00a0he’ll<\/em>,\u00a0are not<\/em> becomes\u00a0aren’t<\/em>, would have<\/em> becomes would’ve<\/em>, and\u00a0it is<\/em> becomes\u00a0it’s<\/em>. In all of these cases, the apostrophe stands in for the missing letters.<\/p>\n

              You may find yourself\u00a0being steered away from using contractions in your papers. While you should write to your teacher’s preference, keep in mind that\u00a0leaving out contractions can often make your words sound over formal and stilted. (And don’t eliminate contractions in your papers just to up your word count!)<\/p>\n

              Note:<\/strong> Double contractions, like wouldn’t’ve<\/em> or I’d’ve<\/em> are considered non-standard and should be avoided in formal written language.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n

              Some Common\u00a0Errors<\/h3>\n

              Now that we’ve learned about both contraction and possession, let’s take a look at some\u00a0of the most common (or at least most called out) errors people make.<\/p>\n

              Your<\/em> versus You’re<\/em><\/h4>\n
                \n
              • Your v. you’re<\/li>\n
              • Its v. it’s<\/li>\n
              • Their v. they’re<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                All three of these pairs are the same kind of pair: a possessive pronoun and\u00a0a contracted version of a pronoun + to be<\/em> (you’re<\/em> =\u00a0you are<\/em>;\u00a0it’s<\/em> =\u00a0it is<\/em>;\u00a0they’re<\/em> =\u00a0they are<\/em>). These are easy to mix up (especially its<\/em>\/it’s<\/em>) because\u2014as we’ve learned\u2014an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em> indicates possession.\u00a0The best way to\u00a0use these correctly is to remember that possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe: if there’s an apostrophe with a pronoun, it’s\u00a0a contraction, not a possessive.<\/p>\n

                Should’ve<\/em>\u00a0versus\u00a0Should of<\/em><\/h4>\n
                  \n
                • Should of, would of, could of<\/em><\/li>\n
                • Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  This mistake\u00a0is due to the pronunciation. Out loud both\u00a0of these phrases\u00a0sound exactly the same. However, remember that the original phrase is\u00a0should have<\/em>, as in “I should have done that.” The phrase should of<\/em> should never occur. Unfortunately, the only way to remember this is rote memorization (or perhaps a closer examination of the word\u00a0of<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  Acronyms and Numbers<\/h2>\n

                  In technical writing, acronyms and numbers are frequently pluralized with the addition of an apostrophe +\u00a0s<\/em>, but this is falling out of favor, and there is typically no need to put an apostrophe in front of the s<\/em>. Therefore, SSTs<\/em>\u00a0(sea surface temperatures) is more acceptable than SST\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0when your intention is simply to pluralize.<\/p>\n

                  Ideally, use the apostrophe before the s<\/em>\u00a0with an acronym or a number only to show possession (i.e., \u201can 1860\u2019s law\u201d; \u201cDEP\u2019s testing\u201d) or when confusion would otherwise result (\u201cmind your p<\/em>\u2019s and q<\/em>\u2019s\u201d).<\/p>\n

                  When talking about a specific decade the 1920s<\/em> should be shortened to\u00a0the\u00a0\u201920s<\/em>. Notice that the apostrophe curls away from the numbers, indicating that the missing characters originally appeared prior to the apostrophe.<\/p>\n

                  \n

                  Practice<\/h3>\n

                  Read the following passage. Identify any errors with apostrophes. Type\u00a0the corrected words in the text frame below:<\/p>\n

                  Thanks to\u00a0NASAs’<\/strong> team of sniffers, led by\u00a0George Aldrich, astronauts can breathe a little bit easier. Aldrich is the \u201cchief sniffer\u201d at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. His’s<\/strong> job is to smell items before they can be flown in the space shuttle.<\/p>\n

                  Aldrich explained that smells change in space and that once astronauts are up there, their<\/strong>\u00a0stuck with whatever smells are onboard with them. In space, astronauts aren\u2019t able to open the window for extra ventilation. He also said that its<\/strong> important not to introduce substances that will change the delicate balance of the climate of the International Space Station and the space shuttle.<\/p>\n