Apostrophe for Possession

• To show possession

• To replace omitted letters (contractions)

• To show plural letters, numbers, and symbols

To show possession, always add an 's unless the noun is plural and ends in s, in which case add only the apostrophe

Example 1

Wrong: Tonys hat is on the floor

Correct: Tony's hat is on the floor.

Example 2

Wrong: Louis' scarf is 3 feet long.

Correct: Louis's scarf is 3 feet long.

*Louis does end in s, but it is not plural.

Example 3

Wrong: Both players's jerseys were soaked with sweat.

Correct: Both players' jerseys were soaked with sweat.

1. ​A singular noun with no s on the end

   1. ​add 's (dog's collar)

2. ​A singular noun with an s on the end

   1. ​add 's (bus's route)

3. ​Plural nouns with no s on the end

   1. ​add 's (children's group)

4. ​Plural nouns with an s on the end

   1. ​only add ' (all the trees' leaves)

​1. Change the possessive to a statement with "that belongs to"

​Addison's phone -> The phone that belongs to Addison

​

​2. Now the possessor is clear.

• ​Is the possessor singular or plural? (one or more than one)

  • ​Singular (just one)

    • ​'s​

  • ​Plural (more than one)

    • ​Does not end in s = 's

    • ​Ends in s = just '

​Puppies first attempts at navigating stairs produce excited responses from owners, who stimulate and assist the animals by placing them two steps from the bottom to make the journey seem less daunting.

​

​A. NO CHANGE

​B. Puppy's

​C. Puppys

​D. Puppies'