The apostrophe ( ’ ) - Easy Learning Grammar

Showing possession

• -’s is added to the end of singular words.

• a baby’s pushchair
• Hannah’s book
• a child’s cry

• -’s is added to the end of plural words not ending in -s.

• children’s games
• women’s clothes
• people’s lives

• An apostrophe alone (’) is added to plural words ending in -s.

• Your grandparents are your parents’ parents.
• We’re campaigning for workers’ rights.
• They’ve hired a new ladies’ fashion guru.

• -’s is added to the end of names and singular words ending in -s.

• James’s car
• the octopus’s tentacles

• -’s is added to the end of certain professions or occupations to indicate workplaces.

• She’s on her way to the doctor’s.
• James is at the hairdresser’s.

• -’s is added to the end of people or their names to indicate that you are talking about their home.

• I’m going over to Harry’s for tea tonight.
• I popped round to Mum’s this afternoon, but she wasn’t in.

• Note that if the word is a classical Greek name, or a historical figure or building, an apostrophe only is sometimes preferred.

• Dickens’ novels
• St Giles’ Cathedral

• whole phrases

• My next-door neighbour’s dog was barking away like mad.
• John and Cath’s house was on TV last night.

• indefinite pronouns such as somebody or anywhere

• Is this anybody’s pencil case?
• It’s nobody’s fault but mine.

• each other

• We’re getting used to each other’s habits.
• We kept forgetting each other’s names.

• the middle of the street (not the street’s middle)
• the front of the house (not the house’s front)

• the boy’s books [= the books belonging to the boy]
• the boys’ books [= the books belonging to the boys]

With letters and numbers

• French students rioted in ’68 [short for ‘1968’].
• He worked as a schoolteacher during the ’60s and early ’90s.

• Mind your p’s and q’s.
• His 2’s look a bit like 7’s.
• She got straight A’s in her exams.

Contracted forms

• not
• We/you/they aren’t
• He/she/it/one isn’t
• I/we/they haven’t
• He/she/it/one hasn’t

• If ’s is followed by an -ing form, it represents the auxiliary is.

• She’s reading a book about the ancient Egyptians.
• He’s going to Ibiza for his holidays.

• If ’s is followed by an adjective or a noun phrase, it represents the main verb is.

• She’s nervous about meeting my parents.
• He’s brilliant at maths.

• If ’s is followed by a past participle, it can represent is as it is used in the passive,
  • He’s portrayed by the media as a kindly old grandfather.
  • It’s often said that rock stars are frustrated actors.
  or has as it is used in the present perfect.

• She’s broken her wrist.
• It’s been ages since we last saw you.

• If ’s is followed by got, it represents the auxiliary has.

• She’s got two brothers and one sister.
• It’s got everything you could want.

• If ’d is followed by a past participle, it represents the auxiliary had.

• I’d raced against him before, but never in a marathon.
• She couldn’t believe what she’d done.

• If ’d is followed by a base form, it represents the modal auxiliary would.

• I’d give up now, if I were you.
• When we were kids we’d spend hours out on our bikes.

• If ’d is followed by rather or better, it represents the modal auxiliary would.

• We’d better go home soon.
• I’d rather not talk about that.