10. Try these
yourself!
(Remember:
Look for the
correct spelling
of the word or
name.)
the childrens
safety
Dennis award
Mrs. Harris car
both boys parents
the Johnsons
house
an officers duties
11. Let’s start by
spelling each
word and name
correctly.
children
Dennis
Mrs. Harris
both boys
the Johnsons
an officer
16. Or you can forget
about that extra
“s.”
Both ways are
correct!
Dennis’ award
Mrs. Harris’ car
Dennis’s award
Mrs. Harris’s car
17. Let’s try a few
more!
(Remember:
Look for the
correct spelling
of the word or
name.)
the puppys shots
the puppies shots
the Smiths window
Mr. Carneys
accident
the peoples rights
19. Now it’s easy!
(Remember:
Look for the
correct spelling
of the word or
name.)
the puppy’s shots
the puppies’ shots
the Smiths’
window
Mr. Carney’s
accident
the people’s rights
20. Now let’s take a look at plurals.
Here are the Petersons. (Nice family,
aren’t they?)
21. Should we insert an apostrophe into
Petersons?
Here’s the answer: It depends.
24. The Petersons’ dining
room overlooks a lovely
garden.
“dining room of the
Petersons” – yes, you
need an apostrophe.
That “of” gives it away.
25. Try these yourself. (Be sure to look for
an “of” idea!)
The Smiths are in Honolulu.
The Holders alarm system isn’t working.
The Chans asked me to check on their
house.
The Farrells car was stolen.
26. The Smiths are in Honolulu.
The Holders’ alarm system isn’t
working.
The Chans asked me to check on their
house.
The Farrells’ car was stolen.
Here are the answers:
27. How did you do?
The Smiths are in Honolulu. (no “of”)
The Holders’ alarm system isn’t
working. (alarm system of the Holders)
The Chans asked me to check on their
house. (no “of”)
The Farrells’ car was stolen. (car of the
Farrells)
28. Now let’s look at one more issue
related to apostrophes: Possessive
pronouns.
32. That desk is hers.
While your car is
in the shop, you
can use ours.
Our department
increased its
budget again this
year.
For example:
33. An apostrophe in it’s
means it is:
It’s raining.
I think it’s going to
storm.
34. Let’s review:
Apostrophes mean “of”
Don’t use apostrophes to mean “more than one”
It’s easy to place apostrophes correctly if you spell
the word first: people, puppies, women, Dennis,
boys
Don’t use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns:
his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, its
37. You can find a free preview of my book at
Amazon.com:
“A useful resource for both
students and professionals.”
- Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D.,
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Community College
"Personable and
readable...Jean knows her
subject forwards and
backwards.”
- Adair Lara, author of Hold Me
Close, Let Me Go