Question

How do you use an apostrophe to show possession for singular and plural nouns and to form a contraction?

Answer 1

Apostrophes are used in English in two main ways: to show possession and to form contractions. Here's how to use them for both singular and plural nouns, as well as for contractions:

### Showing Possession

1. **Singular Nouns:**
- For singular nouns, add an apostrophe followed by the letter "s" (’s).
- **Example:**
- The book of the teacher → The teacher’s book
- The car of John → John’s car

2. **Plural Nouns:**
- For plural nouns that already end in "s", just add an apostrophe after the "s".
- **Example:**
- The books of the teachers → The teachers’ books
- The houses of the cats → The cats’ houses

- For plural nouns that do not end in "s", add an apostrophe followed by "s" (’s) just like singular nouns.
- **Example:**
- The children of the family → The family’s children
- The men of the group → The group’s men

### Forming Contractions

A contraction combines two words into one by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe.

- **Example of Common Contractions:**
- **Is not** becomes **isn't**
- **You are** becomes **you're**
- **They will** becomes **they'll**
- **I have** becomes **I've**

### Summary
- Use ’s for singular nouns to show possession.
- Use just an apostrophe (’) for plural nouns ending in "s".
- Use ’s for plural nouns not ending in "s".
- Use apostrophes to indicate missing letters in contractions.

Following these rules will help ensure proper use of apostrophes in your writing.