Apostrophes are one of the most taxing punctuation marks for many, because there’s one huge exception to the usage rules – the dreaded “it’s” vs “its”.
Apostrophes have a few different uses in written English, and their correct application helps the reader to clearly understand the meaning.
Apostrophes are used to show:
- A missing letter or contraction
Examples
- It’s a lovely day (it is)
- They’re going on holiday (they are)
- I don’t understand (do not)
- At least it isn’t raining today (is not)
- Possession or ownership
Examples
- The girl’s shoes are red (singular – there is one girl)
- The girls’ shoes are blue (plural – there are two or more girls)
- The people’s vote (plural – collective noun, a group)
- The children’s dads (plural – collective noun, a group – several children and several dads)
- The bus’s bell (singular)
- Jacob’s and George’s shoes (individual possession of two or more things – each of them owns some shoes)
- Caleb and Reuben’s house (joint possession of something – two or more people who jointly own the house)
- Expressions of time
Examples
- One week’s notice (singular)
- Six weeks’ notice (plural)
But… (the exception to the rule)
There is of course an exception to the rule – and it’s one that trips up many, many people…
Its and it’s
The key thing to note here, is that there is no apostrophe when using its to show possession:
- The door was blown off its hinges
We only add an apostrophe if there’s a letter missing – it’s (in place of ‘it has’ or ‘it is’):
- I can’t believe it’s the last day of June already!
If you’re struggling with correct use of apostrophes, or any other grammatical nightmare, I can help! I’m a professional copywriter, proof-reader and editor so I can transform any text for you.
I’m also a copywriting and digital content trainer – so if you want to invest in yourself and upskill, get in touch – jaime@compelling-copy.co.uk.