Apostrophes can make you break out in a sweat. For the generations of copywriters and journalists who were schooled during the years where ‘creative English' replaced solid grammar on the school curriculum (the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s) the apostrophe remains a thing of fear. It can seem straightforward – for example it's for the abbreviation of ‘it is', or to indicate possession, such as Bill's pen or Sally's computer. But then an apostrophe will suddenly surprise you and rock the very (shaky) foundations of grammar and its correct use that you'd blindly grasped over the years.
The misuse of the apostrophe has inspired books such as Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves, as well as mobilising groups such as the Apostrophe Protection Society. Copywriters should take note. If you're one of the many copywriters who never had a proper grounding in grammar, referring back to those with a zero tolerance approach to punctuation should be a matter of habit. The punctuation aficionados who daily do battle with the misuse of apostrophes, commas and semicolons, can soon help you whip your sentences back into shape.
Apostrophes – the Simple Rules
Keeping it simple is crucial if you want to use apostrophes correctly. The Apostrophe Protection Society advises you follow these straightforward rules.
· The apostrophe denotes a missing letter or letters, for e.g. I can't, instead of I cannot.
· The apostrophe denotes possession, for e.g. The Company's computer, Davies's shoes. Its however does not take on an apostrophe any more than ours, yours or hers do, for e.g. the dog biscuit is in its mouth. If its does not mean ‘it is' it does not need an apostrophe.
· Apostrophes are used if you are dealing with the plural, so if there are two or more dogs with biscuits, it becomes the ‘dogs' biscuits'.
Common copywriting mistakes
The plural possession is what causes much confusion. Often apostrophes are dropped into plural words incorrectly. For example ‘apple's for sale' is simply ‘apples for sale'. Another common example is ‘MOT's available here' it should simply be ‘MOTs available here'. ‘100's of new products inside' is ‘100s of new products inside'. ‘New DVD's on offer!' is ‘New DVDs on offer!'
Other misuse and mistakes include ‘your' and ‘you're'. You're is an abbreviation of ‘you are', your is possessive, i.e. your dog.
Apostrophes – A recap
So, to recap.
Use an apostrophe in shortened expressions (shan't, won't, can't, she'll)
Use an apostrophe in possessive expressions – where something belongs to someone or something else (John's homework, Harrogate's library).
Singular nouns end in ‘'s', (the cat's whiskers).
Normal plural nouns that have an added s, assume an apostrophe after the s, e.g. pens' lids, cows' tongues (if more than one cow).
If the possessor is plural and does not have an s, such as women, people or sheep, the apostrophe comes before the s. e.g. children's clothes, women's page.
When it comes to singular nouns ending with an s, its common practice to use an apostrophe according to how you'd speak the word. For example ‘Keeping up with the Jones's' or ‘Mr Jones' hat'
Exercises
Below are a few simple exercises to help you get it right.
What if it's plural, when there's more than one thing doing the possessing?
The apostrophe goes after the possessing things. So:
the student's essay (one student and one essay)
the student's essays (one student and more than one essay)
the students' essay (more than one student, collectively writing one essay)
the students' essays (more than one student, more than one essay)
What if the word doing the possessing is plural, but doesn't end in s, like children, or women?
You put in an apostrophe after the word, and then put in an s. So, women's liberation, people's health, and children's books.
When in doubt, don't guess. Mistakes will make you look inept. Any copywriter worth his or her salt will ensure their copy appreciates the apostrophe.