What is an apostrophe in a sentence?

An apostrophe (‘) is a type of punctuation used for two purposes: to create contractions, and to create the possessive form of a noun. Truth be told, apostrophes cause a lot of problems for writers—they are often misused, misplaced, and misunderstood!

Why use an apostrophe in a name?

Using Possessive Apostrophes. Use an apostrophe to indicate ownership by a proper noun. An apostrophe with an “s” after a proper noun indicates that the person, place or thing owns whatever noun follows his or her name. For example, “Mary’s lemons.” We know the lemons belong to Mary because of the ‘s.

How do you make the last name Jones possessive?

You make Jones plural by adding “es” because it ends in “s,” but adding an apostrophe and “s” after that would make it difficult to pronounce (Joneseses) so you just add the apostrophe. Again, the main thing to remember is not to change the basic spelling of a person’s name.

What is Jesus plural?

Therefore, “Jesus” is rarely if ever pluralized, but if is, e.g., in a special usage and meaning such as ‘people who are like Jesus’, the plural would be the regular “Jesuses,” with the written plural suffix “-es” which is used after noun stems that end in sibilants (sounds like [s] and [z]) and in which the “-es” …

How do you use apostrophes with plurals?

Possessive apostrophes with plural nouns Most plural nouns already end in s. In this case, to indicate possession, add only an apostrophe to the end of the word. This also applies to words where the singular and the plural take the same form. The flood destroyed the beavers’ dam.

Can I use two apostrophes in a row?

Yes, the first sentence is correct. Although I suspect parent’s may be intended as plural here, in which case the apostrophe should be moved to be parents’. “I am going over to Lauren’s parents’ house this evening.” The next two sentences can actually be simplified by removing one of the possessives.

When should you not use an apostrophe?

When NOT to Use an Apostrophe Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive pronouns whose, ours, yours, his, hers, its, or theirs. Do not use an apostrophe in nouns that are plural but not possessive, such as CDs, 1000s, or 1960s. Do not use an apostrophe in verbs.

Do I need an apostrophe?

Any time you have an it’s or an its in your writing, double-check the sentence. If you can say “it is” in its place, then you DO need the apostrophe. If its is showing something has possession or ownership of something, then you do NOT need an apostrophe and using its is correct. The dog was chewing on its bone.

Is it Davis’s or Davis?

According to Grammarbook.com, the nerds of the world will argue heatedly on the subject for eternity, but the most roundly accepted rule is to include the apostrophe, along with an extra “S.” (Davis’s rather than Davis’).

What is an example of apostrophe in literature?

Apostrophe – when a character in a literary work speaks to an object, an idea, or someone who doesn’t exist as if it is a living person. Examples of Apostrophe: 1. Oh, rose, how sweet you smell and how bright you look!

What is apostrophe?

(Entry 1 of 2) : a mark ‘ used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case (as in “John’s book”), or the plural of letters or figures (as in “the 1960’s”) In the contraction “can’t,” the apostrophe replaces two of the letters in the word “cannot.”. apostrophe. noun (2)

Do you put apostrophe after Z?

The rules. Common nouns ending in an s, z or x sound should generally take an apostrophe and an s when indicating possession.