{"id":187,"date":"2025-04-17T16:35:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/when-to-use-apostrophes\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T15:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:05:41","slug":"when-to-use-apostrophes","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/when-to-use-apostrophes\/","title":{"raw":"Apostrophes and Quotation Marks: Learn It 1","rendered":"Apostrophes and Quotation Marks: Learn It 1"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate how to use apostrophes to show possession<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate how to use apostrophes in contractions<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate the correct use of quotation marks<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>When to Use Apostrophes<\/h2>\r\nWith possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s to indicate that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox proTip\" aria-label=\"Pro Tip\">The easy way to think about using apostrophes to demonstrate possession is to use the \u201cof\u201d test. Try rewording the sentence and substituting the apostrophe with the word of.<\/section>\r\n<h3>Singular Possessives<\/h3>\r\nSingular words, whether or not they end in s, are made possessive by adding an apostrophe + s.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>a student\u2019s paper = the paper of a student<\/li>\r\n \t<li>one hour\u2019s passing = the passing of one hour<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Illinois\u2019s law or Illinois\u2019 law = the law of Illinois<\/li>\r\n \t<li>their professor\u2019s office = the office of their professor (just one!)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>If you just mean to make a word plural, you should not add an apostrophe.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<h4>Incorrect use of Apostrophes<\/h4>\r\nHere is an example of incorrect usage:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The student\u2019s planned to buy their books but played Xbox instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHere, you would not use an apostrophe because there is no ownership being established. You can double-check this example and see that this use of the apostrophe would not pass the \u201cof\u201d test:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The planned of the students just does not make sense.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe sentence above would not pass the test and should read as follows:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The students planned to buy their books but played Xbox instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1758\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1758\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04170603\/apostrophe-968x1024.png\" alt=\"Appropriate alternative text for this image can be found in the caption.\" width=\"200\" height=\"212\" \/> <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. An apostrophe.[\/caption]\r\n<h3>Plural Possessives<\/h3>\r\nFor plural words, we typically indicate possession simply by adding the apostrophe without an additional s. However, for a plural that does not end in an s (e.g., bacteria), we would add an apostrophe + s.\r\n\r\nPossessive forms of plural words can sometimes be confusing because we often add <em>s<\/em> to make a noun plural. With all those <em>s\u2019s<\/em>, it may seem overwhelming, but the rules are actually quite simple:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>To make plural nouns that do not end in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong> possessive, add <strong>\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>To make plural nouns that end in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong> possessive, add just the apostrophe.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Plurals not ending in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>the mice\u2019s footprints<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The children\u2019s playground = the playground used by children<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The alumni\u2019s reunion = the reunion attended by the alumni<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPlurals ending in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>my cats\u2019 treasures<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">interviewees\u2019 answers = the answers of the interviewees (multiple)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">their professors\u2019 office = the office of their professors (an office shared by two or more of their professors)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>Writers sometimes mistakenly add apostrophes to make words plural, but this is not how the apostrophe is used; the apostrophe is used to show possession or ownership.\r\n\r\nNow try applying these apostrophe rules yourself.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\">Take a minute to test your knowledge about apostrophes.[embed]https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1290906739311587408[\/embed]\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292085783298680608[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\n<ul>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate how to use apostrophes to show possession<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate how to use apostrophes in contractions<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Demonstrate the correct use of quotation marks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h2>When to Use Apostrophes<\/h2>\n<p>With possessives, the apostrophe is used in combination with an s to indicate that a word literally or conceptually possesses what follows it.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox proTip\" aria-label=\"Pro Tip\">The easy way to think about using apostrophes to demonstrate possession is to use the \u201cof\u201d test. Try rewording the sentence and substituting the apostrophe with the word of.<\/section>\n<h3>Singular Possessives<\/h3>\n<p>Singular words, whether or not they end in s, are made possessive by adding an apostrophe + s.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<ul>\n<li>a student\u2019s paper = the paper of a student<\/li>\n<li>one hour\u2019s passing = the passing of one hour<\/li>\n<li>Illinois\u2019s law or Illinois\u2019 law = the law of Illinois<\/li>\n<li>their professor\u2019s office = the office of their professor (just one!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>If you just mean to make a word plural, you should not add an apostrophe.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<h4>Incorrect use of Apostrophes<\/h4>\n<p>Here is an example of incorrect usage:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The student\u2019s planned to buy their books but played Xbox instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here, you would not use an apostrophe because there is no ownership being established. You can double-check this example and see that this use of the apostrophe would not pass the \u201cof\u201d test:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The planned of the students just does not make sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The sentence above would not pass the test and should read as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The students planned to buy their books but played Xbox instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1758\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1758\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1758\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04170603\/apostrophe-968x1024.png\" alt=\"Appropriate alternative text for this image can be found in the caption.\" width=\"200\" height=\"212\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1758\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. An apostrophe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Plural Possessives<\/h3>\n<p>For plural words, we typically indicate possession simply by adding the apostrophe without an additional s. However, for a plural that does not end in an s (e.g., bacteria), we would add an apostrophe + s.<\/p>\n<p>Possessive forms of plural words can sometimes be confusing because we often add <em>s<\/em> to make a noun plural. With all those <em>s\u2019s<\/em>, it may seem overwhelming, but the rules are actually quite simple:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To make plural nouns that do not end in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong> possessive, add <strong>\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>To make plural nouns that end in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong> possessive, add just the apostrophe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Plurals not ending in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the mice\u2019s footprints<\/li>\n<li>The children\u2019s playground = the playground used by children<\/li>\n<li>The alumni\u2019s reunion = the reunion attended by the alumni<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Plurals ending in <strong><em>s<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>my cats\u2019 treasures<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">interviewees\u2019 answers = the answers of the interviewees (multiple)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">their professors\u2019 office = the office of their professors (an office shared by two or more of their professors)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>Writers sometimes mistakenly add apostrophes to make words plural, but this is not how the apostrophe is used; the apostrophe is used to show possession or ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Now try applying these apostrophe rules yourself.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\">Take a minute to test your knowledge about apostrophes.<iframe id=\"oembed-1\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" title=\"OWL: Grammar Refresher - Apostrophes\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1290906739311587408\/embed?feature=oembed#?secret=O8IacPZFai\" data-secret=\"O8IacPZFai\" width=\"500\" height=\"320\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"oembed-2\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" title=\"Apostrophe 1\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292085783298680608\/embed?feature=oembed#?secret=NqPspWlMTW\" data-secret=\"NqPspWlMTW\" width=\"500\" height=\"320\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"menu_order":11,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Quotation Practice Activity\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"University of Mississippi\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Style For Students Online \",\"author\":\"Joe Schall\",\"organization\":\"The Pennsylvania State University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\",\"project\":\"Penn State\\'s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences\\' OER Initiative\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Excelsior OWL: Apostrophes \",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior College\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/punctuation\/apostrophes\/\",\"project\":\"Grammar Essentials\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Apostrophe icon\",\"author\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Possessive Apostrophe Practice Interactive\",\"author\":\"Bob Danielson for Lumen Learning\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Apostrophe Practice Interactive \",\"author\":\"Bob Danielson for Lumen Learning\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":180,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":null,"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3329,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/187\/revisions\/3329"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/180"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/187\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=187"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=187"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}