The apostrophe: what is it, when to use it, and when to NOT

It’s not a comma, and not a quotation mark. What is it, exactly?

Author
Christina Levandowski

Published
January 16, 2024

The apostrophe: what is it, when to use it, and when to NOT

It’s not a comma, and not a quotation mark. What is it, exactly?

Author
Christina Levandowski

Published
Jan 16, 2024

The apostrophe: what is it, when to use it, and when to NOT

It’s not a comma, and not a quotation mark. What is it, exactly?

Author
Christina Levandowski

Published
Jan 16, 2024

Key takeaways

Apostrophes have a lot of different jobs – Knowing how to use them properly is a great way to go the extra mile on your homework or test!
It looks like a comma, but way up high – You’ll draw it in exactly the same way.
Possession and contractions are the name of the game – You’ll primarily be using apostrophes to show possession (who owns something) and to shorten a word (like we do when we say “don’t” instead of “do not.”)

Table of contents

Apostrophes have so many important jobs. Whether you’re working to show ownership (like you would when using them with possessive nouns) or you’re creating contractions, you’ll find that you run into apostrophes often — and they’ll help make your life much easier! Here’s everything you need to know about using apostrophes in your next homework assignment or exam. (And let’s play a game: how many apostrophes have we used in this first paragraph?)

What is an apostrophe?

Apostrophes look like commas — but way up high.

Commas are commonly used to show a “break” or a “pause” point in a sentence, while apostrophes have a bunch of different jobs — like telling you who owns something or helping you make contractions.

They’re also commonly confused with quotation marks (i.e., “). However, they aren’t the same punctuation mark. Quotation marks are usually used to show when someone is speaking. (i.e., “Throw me the ball!” Donna shouted).

When do you use an apostrophe?

There are plenty of times when students will need to use an apostrophe. Most common uses include:

Creating contractions. A contraction happens when two words are cut down, forming one, shortened word. An example would be “can not” turning into “can’t” — which is only made possible via an apostrophe!
Showing that someone owns something. This is commonly done with possessive pronouns. An example of a possessive in action is when we see sentences like: “Miley’s drink was cold” or “Tony’s pizza was cheesy.” That apostrophe between the final letter of someone’s name and an “s” tells us that they own that thing!

Apostrophe rule #1: Use it with contractions

Contractions are a great way to shorten your sentences and say more with less. There are plenty of words you can shorten and squeeze together to create new words that have the same meaning. Common examples include:

Phrase	Contraction
Do not	Don’t
Will not	Won’t
You are	You’re
It is	It’s

Apostrophe rule #2: Use it to show possession

Telling someone who owns something can be incredibly useful — whether you’re splitting up snacks or telling your parents about your friend’s toy that you also want for the holidays! Some examples of possessive apostrophes include:

Need to show possession of…	How to do that
Sally has a ball.	Sally’s ball.
The children have a test.	The children’s test

In some cases, you might need to show plural possession — or possession where plural nouns (i.e., teachers) possess other plural nouns (i.e., lessons).. An example of this would be:

Need to show possession of…	How to do that
The teachers have lessons.	The teachers’ lessons

When to NOT use an apostrophe

While apostrophes are incredibly useful, there are two common situations where we wouldn’t use them. For example…

Certain possessive pronouns don’t use apostrophes. These are a few “rule-breaking” pronouns that you’ll need to memorize for later:

- Yours
- Ours
- Whose
- His
- Hers
- Its
- Theirs

Verbs (which are usually the “action words” in a sentence). For example: You wouldn’t say someone see’s something. Instead, you would say that someone sees something.
When you’re making something plural. You wouldn’t say “Tammy’s three hat’s.” Instead, you would say, “Tammy’s three hats.”

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FAQs about apostrophes

Do you need an apostrophe in FAQs?

While there are many conflicting answers online, many believe that using an apostrophe in “FAQs” is redundant and improper — especially because FAQs don’t “own” anything. So, it’s best to avoid putting the apostrophe in this term.

What are the three rules for apostrophes?

There are three common “rules” for apostrophes: Use them to show who owns something, use them to create contractions, and don’t use them with verbs.

What is the most common mistake with apostrophes?

The most common apostrophe mistake is when someone uses them to create plurals when they aren’t really needed. An example of this would be “apple’s” or “banana’s”. This is incorrect usage, since the fruits don’t “own” anything in this specific case. This error is called the “grocer’s apostrophe” since it used to be found in old-time grocery stores…and it’s best to avoid altogether!

What’s the most frequent reason to use an apostrophe?

The most common reason for many to use an apostrophe is to show that someone owns something. (I.e., Tina’s homework).