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In English, apostrophes are used to either contract two words into one or to show possession.

When someone owns something, add an 's: George's cat.

When someone whose name ENDING IN S owns something, you still add 's! I.e., Charles's tooth or Louis's Garage. One of the few exceptions to this rule is the name "Jesus." To make this name possessive, simply add an apostrophe: Jesus' disciples.

When more than one person owns something, add s': The brothers' cat.

The exception to this is when dealing with words that are already pluralized, i. e. "children" or "women." Thus it is a women's restroom or a children's library.

Another commonly confused exception when using apostrophes is the contraction of it is (it's) and the possessive form of it (its). The way I remember it is to remember that "it's" always means "it is." So, for example, "it's dog" is incorrect because it makes no sense to say "it is dog."

Examples:

It's a girl!

It's mine.

That's its name.

It's Veterans' Day! (you will often see marketers misuse the apostrophe when it comes to holidays, but because the day is for all veterans instead of one, this form is correct)

Charles's teeth were knocked out by the bully's fist.

(or if there's more than one bully) Charles's teeth were knocked out by the bullies' fists.

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14y ago
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1w ago

Adding an apostrophe before an "s" indicates possession, showing that something belongs to someone or something. Adding an apostrophe after an "s" in a plural noun indicates possession when the plural form does not end in "s," such as "children's toys."

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Q: What is the difference with adding an apostrophe before an s and after an s?
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Is the boys team a singular or plural possessive?

Possession is shown by use of an apostrophe. A singular noun forms the possessive by adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of the word. A plural noun forms the possessive by adding an apostrophe (') after the ending s or adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of an irregular plural noun.The singular possessive form is: the boy's team.The plural possessive form is: the boys'team.


What is the definition of a pucuation possessive noun?

A punctuation possessive noun is a noun that indicates possession or ownership, and is followed by an apostrophe and an "s" ( 's ) in English grammar. For example, "the dog's bone" shows that the bone belongs to the dog.


What do all possessive nouns contain?

All nouns used to show possession use an apostrophe.Singular possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of a noun.For plural nouns that end in -s, the possessive are formed by adding an apostrophe after the existing -s ('); for irregular plural nouns that don't end with -s, the possessive is formed by adding the apostrophe s ('s), the same as a singular noun.


What is the difference between parent's and parents'?

Parents (no apostrophe) is plural.Parent's (apostrophe s) is singular possessive.Parents' (s apostrophe) is plural possessive.


Where to put apostrophe in children?

The apostrophe in "children" would be placed before the "s" to show possession: children's.


What is the difference between the pronunciation of apostrophe s or s apostrophe?

The possessive singular of English nouns is formed by adding -'s, which adds an s sound to the word, and in the case of singulars already ending in s, it adds a syllable: Jones's is pronounced Joneses. The possessive plural of English nouns ending in s if formed by the addition of the apostrophe alone. It has no sound. Joneses' is pronounced Joneses. DO NOT use the apostrophe alone with singulars ending in s.


Should youhave space once after an apostrophe?

If the word ends in apostrophe s or ends in s apostrophe, then there is NO space before or after the apostrophe, but always a space before the next word.


What is the difference between s s' and 's?

If you are asking what is the difference between ending a word in the English language with the letter s and with an apostrophe mark before the s, as this 's, it is the difference between making a word plural and making a word possessive. For example mother can be made to mean more than one mother by adding the letter s to make it mothers. There were several mothers who attended the school meeting. When you place an apostrophe mark before the letter s, you are indicating that the word you have printed, written, or typed, owns something or something belongs to the thing that that word represents. For example, That book is my mother's. (book). This is a simplistic answer, but I think it is adequate for now.


Why do some plural words have to have the apostrophe at the end?

The possessive of PLURAL nouns ending in -s is formed by adding a final apostrophe: girls'. Plurals that do not end in -s form the possessive by adding -'s: women's Because the already end in the letter "s" such as octopus


What is the difference between 's and s?

If you are asking what is the difference between ending a word in the English language with the letter s and with an apostrophe mark before the s, as this 's, it is the difference between making a word plural and making a word possessive. For example mother can be made to mean more than one mother by adding the letter s to make it mothers. There were several mothers who attended the school meeting. When you place an apostrophe mark before the letter s, you are indicating that the word you have printed, written, or typed, owns something or something belongs to the thing that that word represents. For example, That book is my mother's. (book). This is a simplistic answer, but I think it is adequate for now.


What is the rule when adding an apostrophe s ('s) to a word to indicate possession?

The basic rules for forming possessive nouns are:SINGULAR NOUNSSingular possessive nouns are formed by adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of a noun.Example: I used my grandma's recipe for the cake.There are two accepted forms for possessive singular nouns ending in s:Add an apostrophe (') after the existing s at the end of the word: Thomas'Add an apostrophe s ('s) after the existing s at the end of the word: Thomas'sExamples:I like Thomas' new bicycle.I like Thomas's new bicycle.PLURAL NOUNSPlural nouns ending in s form the possessive by adding an apostrophe (') after the s at the end of the word.Plural noun that do not end in s form the possessive by adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of the word.Examples:The books' covers were damaged in storage.The children's coats all hung in a row.


When do you use an aprostrophe behind a noun?

An apostrophe is used to make a noun into a possessive noun. By adding an "apostrophe s" to the end of a word, or if the word already ends with an "s", you only add the "apostrophe" after the existing "s" at the end of the word to show that something in the sentence belongs to that noun.The apostrophe or apostrophe s shows possession.