APOSTROPHES

Apostrophes are put at the end of nouns when the nouns have something belonging to them.

Singular nouns

If a noun is singular and it has something belonging to it, add an apostrophe and an V. For singular words that show possession the apostrophe is always placed before the ‘s’ which has been added:

Karen’s handbag was stolen.

Her neighbour’s fence was blown down.

The child’s ball bounced over the wall.

If the singular noun already ends in an ‘s’ another ‘s’ should still be added:

The princess’s bridal gown was made by a well-known couturier.

The thief stole the duchess’s jewels.

However, in some cases the extra ‘s’ can be omitted as in the following examples:

James’ book was missing.

He damaged his Achilles’ tendon.

Plural nouns

Most nouns add an ‘s’ to make a plural. In this case the apostrophe goes after the ‘s’ if it is possessive:

The thundering of the horses’ hooves broke the silence.

The ladies’ gowns were beautiful.

Some nouns do not add an ‘s’ to become a plural. In this case, if they are possessive, they are treated like singular nouns. The apostrophe is added before the extra ‘s’. Some of these words are: children, feet, geese, men, mice, sheep, teeth, women.

The children’s playground was vandalised.

Kate watched the mice’s tails disappearing round the corner.

The men’s club room was being redecorated.

The sale of women’s coats was postponed.

Possessive pronouns

When using the possessive form of a pronoun, apostrophes are not used when there is an ‘s’ at the end. The possessive pronouns are: mine, hers, his, its, ours, yours and theirs.

The blame is mine.

These books are hers. (no apostrophe)

The first prize was his. (no apostrophe)

Theirs was the glory. (no apostrophe)

The success was ours. (no apostrophe)

That house is theirs. (no apostrophe)

Note especially

The cat cleaned its whiskers (no apostrophe).

not

The cat cleaned it’s whiskers.

• ‘Its’ possessive does not use an apostrophe.
• ‘It’s’ is used only when letters are omitted.
• ‘It’s’ means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

ABBREVIATIONS

When writing formally, it is better not to abbreviate. Write the words out in full. However, it is, of course, acceptable to abbreviate when writing dialogue.

An abbreviation is when letters are missed out. Sometimes two words are combined into one. An apostrophe is placed where the letter or letters have been omitted:

‘cannot’ becomes ‘can’t’

‘Do not’ becomes ‘don’t’

‘Would not’ becomes ‘wouldn’t’

Note especially

‘Could have’ becomes ‘could’ve’. not ‘could of’

‘Might have’ becomes ‘might’ve’. not ‘might of’

‘Would have’ becomes ‘would’ve’. not ‘would of’

Because of the way the abbreviation sounds, the use of the word ‘of instead of the abbreviation ‘’ve’ is common.

Full stops

When words are shortened, it is usual to put a full stop at the end:

abbreviation	abbr.
adjective	adj.
document	doc.
etcetera	etc.
information	info.
language	lang.

The names of counties are shortened in the following way and all need full stops after them:

Berkshire	Berks.
Gloucestershire	Glos.
Hampshire	Hants.
Nottinghamshire	Notts.
Oxfordshire	Oxon.

Other words that are often abbreviated are titles but some of these should only be abbreviated if the title is followed by the person’s full name. A full stop should be put after the abbreviation if it is used.

Capt. Edward Symes

not

Capt. Symes

Rev. Steven Reynolds

not

Rev. Reynolds

CONTRACTIONS

Some words are abbreviated by using the first and last letters only. These are contractions of the original word and do not usually need a full stop at the end:

Doctor	Dr
Mister	Mr
Mistress	Mrs
Road	Rd
Saint	St
Street	St

INITIAL LETTERS

It is becoming increasingly common to describe companies or organisations only by the initial letters of the name of the group. This is now so prevalent that we often forget what the original letters stood for! It is no longer considered necessary to put a full stop after each capital letter. Here are some examples:

AGM	Annual General Meeting
BBC	British Broadcasting Corporation
CPS	Crown Prosecution Service
GCSE	General Certificate of Secondary Education
MP	Member of Parliament
MEP	Member of the European Parliament
RAF	Royal Air Force

ACRONYMS

Acronyms are words that are formed by the initial letters and we usually say the word rather than the letters:

AIDS	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
ANZAC	Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
ASH	Action on Smoking and Health
LAMDA	London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
LASER	Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
NASA	National Aeronautic and Space Administration
NATO	North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
RADA	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
RADAR	Radio Detection And Ranging
SCUBA	Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
SONAR	Sound Navigation And Ranging
UCAS	Universities Colleges Admissions Service
UNESCO	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNICEF	United Nations Children’s Fund
UFO	Unidentified Flying Object
VAT	Value Added Tax

CHECKLIST

• The apostrophe is placed before the ‘s’ if the noun is singular.
• The apostrophe is placed after the ‘s’ if the noun is plural.
• If something ‘belongs’, add an ‘s’ and put the apostrophe before it if the plural does not end in ‘s’.
• Do not use an apostrophe when using a possessive pronoun.
• Remember ‘its’ possessive does not use an apostrophe.
• Put a full stop after shortened or abbreviated words.
• Do not put a full stop after contractions, in acronyms or when the initial letters only have been used.

EXERCISES

• 1.Put apostrophes in the following passage:
  Carefully he picked up Johns bundle. It wasnt very heavy. He glanced warily at the caves entrance. It was very dark. The picnic baskets still lay where theyd been thrown. He stepped into the cave and almost fell over a pile of little rubber tubes that looked like mices tails. Inside there was a boulder of rock. Its smooth surface glistened like gold. Johns hands shook. He wished hed stayed with his brothers. His parents quarrel had upset him and that was why hed run away. In a weeks time they were going on holiday. He wished now that hed stayed at home as hed been told.
• 2.Correct the following passage where necessary:
  The foil doc from Mrs Barker gives info about the lectures to be given by Prof Peter Coombs in Sept and Oct in St Margaret’s Church Hall. The Hall is in Church Rd and is situated near the station. Prof Peter Coombs will be accompanied by Dr Martin.

See pages 175-6 for suggested answers.