Correct Use Of The Apostrophe In English
Created | Updated Oct 15, 2002
The apostrophe or inverted comma is a much misused part of punctuation, but there is a prescribed way of using it, which is quite byzantine even when the rules are set out. As with so much of English, it is often quite illogical in its function, and is sometimes confused even by master grammarians. Simply put, the apostrophe is used to mark contractions - spaces in words where letters have been left out for ease of pronunciation. However, because of the organic way in which English has evolved, there are plenty of loopholes, to be clarified here.
Apostrophes in contractions
The apostrophe is used to denote gaps in words that have been slurred to aid pronunciation. A letter or two is removed to make the word easier to say in speech, and that eventually becomes a written convention too. Thus can not becomes can't and are not becomes aren't. Of course there are exceptions, notably am not becoming ain't in a stupendous piece of illogicality. Nouns can be shortened in the same way: a ship's forecastle proved to be too hard to say, so it gradually became fo'c'sle because lazy sailors preferred it that way. Similarly, five of the clock became five o'clock. The language is evolving, however, and what was convention thirty years ago, is now largely ignored. Strictly, because plane is a contraction of aeroplane, it should be written 'plane. Because no one does this any more, and because plane has become a word in its own right, most linguists agree that it should no longer be counted as correct. Thus, while this article dwells on 'rules', it should be remembered that they are not set in stone for all time.
By and large, however, the situation is obvious.
To Denote Possession
Possession is nine tenths of the law, even in the grammar of apostrophes. The vast majority of pitfalls in using them occur when trying to say something belongs to something else. But with the aid of this handy guide, grammatical foibles will be eradicated for ever. How handy.
Singular possession: This is straightforward, and can be applied to all nouns, both proper and improper. The ball belonging to Jack is Jack's Ball. The ball belonging to the man is the man's ball. The apostrophe comes between the word and the s. What could be easier? If the word ends with an s, however, a problem is presented. There are two legal otpions in this case. It is either Jesus' teaching or Jesus's teaching. Elegance would seem to preclude the latter.
Plural possession: The concept here is identical. The positioning of the apostrophe is all that changes. Thus the ball belonging to the boys is the boys' ball. The apostrophe is placed at the end of the word. Naturally, the language is not going to let such a rule getting away with being so easy. No, because when the possession pertains to a plural noun, like men, for example, everything changes. The ball belonging to the men1 is the men's ball. But of course.
Impersonal possession: For complex reasons, the ball belonging to it is signified as its ball - there is no apostrophe used. This little quirk is to show that there is a difference in meaning between it's: it is and its - that which belongs to it. This rule is frequently overlooked. Don't be a statistic.
Quotations
There are many factors to be taken into consideration when making a quotation. Punctuation varies in this case between the US and Great Britain, and printers' conventions are different again.
In English: In British English, quotations are displayed with a single inverted comma: 'Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law my services are bound'2. Speech marks are double inverted commas, like this ".
In American: Here, conventions dictates that both quotation and speech are displayed using double inverted commas. Increasingly, British printers choose to use the American convention in order to appear more global.
In General: One final point. To quote speech, do this: '"Your punctuation is atrocious," he said'.
Foreign words
An apostrophe also appears in certain cases in foreign words written in English, to highlight a curious pronunciation, a glottal or a syllabic break: Qur'an.
Where not to use apostrophes
The apostrophe is the most often misused piece of punctuation in the language. There seems to be some primordial urge in writers of shop signs to use it to denote plurals. This is manifestly wrong.
CD's: The plural of CD is, by convention, CDs. Strictly, CD's may be used too, though this is not at all recomended. This applies to all other abbreviations like HGVs or A to Zs. Capisce?
1000's: If by some gruesome mischance you feel you need to butcher the beauty of our language by telling us you have lots of things on offer in, say, your poundsaver store, please have the decency to write 1000s. Especially if you have 1000s of CDs
The 70's: The 70's are in fact the '70s. And don't you forget it!
Pencil's: That means belonging to the pencil, not more than one pencil.
A note on style
Although clearly with the knowledge of correct apostrophe usage burning in your veins you will want to put your new-found skills to good use, be aware that, as with everything, there is a time and a place. In a formal essay or letter, using a word like don't is very poor style indeed. Choose the elongated form.
