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Apostrophes

signal omissions in common phrases:

rock and roll becomes rock ‘n’ roll

class of 2005 becomes class of ‘05

Contractions

Possessives

Singular nouns: The girl’s book was overdue.

Plural nouns:

       - not ending in –s: The men’s hats blew off.

       - ending in –s: The birds’ feathers were red

Compound nouns: My mother-in-law’s dog is well behaved.

Two or more nouns:

- individual possession: I liked both Kate’s and Margaret’s paintings. 

- joint possession: Have you seen John and Kari’s new car?

Plurals  

Numbers, letters, symbols, and words referred to as term

            - The gymnasts need marks of 8’s and 9’s to qualify for the finals.

            - My computer will not print m’s because my keyboard is broken.

Do not use an apostrophe for the plural of years:

            - I like the style of clothing from the 1980s.

            - My brother is studying the ‘20s in his history class.

It’s vs. Its

It’s is a contraction for it is/has.

            It’s a beautiful day!

Its is the possessive form of it.

            The dog has its bone.

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