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Slide 2 Apostrophes Slide 3 Three uses Indicate possession Form contractions (RARELY) Form plurals in some situations Slide 4 Joannas car (s after a singular noun) everyones best interest (s after an indefinite pronoun) students papers or judges robes (s with plural noun ending in s or -es) mens experiences or childrens television (s after plural noun not ending in s or es.) Mom and Dads last vacation (s after the last word in a compound noun to show joint possession) brothers and sisters bank accounts (s after each noun to show individual possession) Slide 5 doesnt (contraction of does + not) shell (contraction of she + will) 97 champions or class of 09 (omission of digits in a year) PLEASE NOTE: Although there is no rule against contractions, they are often considered too informal for some writing situations. Check with your teacher if you are unsure whether contractions are allowed. Slide 6 PLEASE NOTE: These situations are fairly rare. 7s 1970s or 1970s ifs, ands, or buts Slide 7 Whose car is this? (NOT: Whos car is this?) Its a nice day today. (Contraction of it + is) The car lost its wheel. (No apostrophe in possessive form of it.) Keatss poetry or Keats poetry. (Depends on difficulty of pronunciation and style book) 1980s or 1980s (Depends on style book. MLA prefers no apostrophe.) Slide 8 Writing Handbook Writing Center Prince 209 (843) 349-2937 Your Instructor